Though most of the attention has been paid to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, James Harden and Tobias Harris, the Philadelphia 76ers have heavily relied on the contributions of veteran wing Danny Green. After taking on a reduced role with less than 22 minutes per game during the regular season, the 34-year-old Green emerged as a vital rotation piece in the playoffs, averaging 28.8 minutes per game in the first two series. Unfortunately, Green’s postseason run could now be in jeopardy, as he suffered a left knee injury during the first quarter of Game 6 against the Miami Heat on Thursday evening.
Danny Green was helped off the court with an apparent leg injury after colliding with Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/CJUNkS0eQZ
— ESPN (@espn) May 12, 2022
Shortly following the injury, it was revealed that Green would not be able to return to Game 6, and there is further evaluation needed. In fact, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports “significant concern” for Philadelphia on a potentially serious knee injury.
Ahead of the MRI for Philadelphia guard Danny Green, there's significant concern on the severity of the left knee injury, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 12, 2022
In Green’s absence, the 76ers are limited in terms of two-way wings. Matisse Thybulle got the call immediately from Doc Rivers, but he has struggled mightily on offense in recent days. Philadelphia also has offense-first options in small-ball looks, like Shake Milton who played later in the quarter, but no perimeter player on the team’s roster can fully match the two-way value of Green in the specific role he occupies. The hope would be that Green escaped serious injury, but the 76ers must navigate at least the final three quarters of a must-win game without him and it could be a while before he’s back on an NBA floor.
