Injuries are a frequent point of discussion in the NBA, and few players are the subject of that conversation as much as Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid. The 2023 MVP missed over half of the regular season and is reportedly in jeopardy of being sidelined for the start of the playoffs, too, as the Sixers get set to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, Embiid’s recent appendectomy has the Sixers “preparing for battle” without their seven-time All-Star. An unexpected appendicitis kept Embiid out of a crucial Play-In Tournament game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, yet he was healthy enough to cheer from the bench in plain clothes.

“The Sixers are preparing for battle against the Celtics without Joel Embiid, at least to start the series,” Charania reported on “NBA Today” on ESPN. “He’s only a week-ish removed from surgery for that appendicitis, and so he’s very much in the recovery phase of this. Once you recover, then you have to have a separate rehab part of the process as well.”

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While Embiid is still trying to play, his status for Game 1 on Sunday afternoon in Boston remains dubious. The Celtics and Sixers haven’t met in the playoffs since 2023 and in Game 1 of that second-round series Embiid was also out, but with a knee injury.

Regardless of the big man’s health, the Sixers will rely on star point guard Tyrese Maxey to push the pace and veteran star Paul George to back him up. As always, the Celtics will feed off the star power of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the same duo that’s haunted Philly for several years now.

If Embiid can’t go on Sunday, his next chance will be on Tuesday night for Game 2 at TD Garden. After that, the series heads to Philadelphia on Friday night.

“This is a serious issue that Joel Embiid had a week ago,” Charania said. “The good news for the Sixers though is he was with the team (Wednesday) night at the arena for the first time since the surgery.”

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Sixers star Joel Embiid could miss start of first-round series vs. Celtics