Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid undergoes surgeries on right thumb, left index finger
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid underwent surgery on his right thumb and left index finger, the team announced on Monday. Neither procedure is expected to impact his availability for the start of next season.
Embiid tore a ligament in his right thumb in Philadelphia's first-round victory against the Toronto Raptors. He also suffered a fractured orbital bone in that series and missed the first two games of the Sixers' six-game loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He played the final four games against Miami, averaging well below his averages during a runner-up campaign in the regular-season MVP race.
The injury to Embiid's left index finger was not specified.
Embiid, who turned 28 years old in March, averaged a league-leading 30.6 points (50/37/81 shooting splits) over 68 appearances in the regular season, adding 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.6 combined blocks and steals in 33.8 minutes per game. Philadelphia outscored Toronto and Miami by 28 points in Embiid's 385 playoff minutes. The Sixers lost their 196 playoff minutes without their superstar 7-footer by 24 points.
Embiid caused a stir when he tweeted "Miami needs another star" during the Eastern Conference finals, given his affection for former Sixers teammate turned Heat leader Jimmy Butler. The four-year, $196 million maximum contract extension Embiid signed in Philadelphia does not begin until the 2023-24 season.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
