Miami Heat: Kyle Lowry injury could loom large vs. Philadelphia 76ers

As all the attention surrounds Joel Embiid’s injury, the Miami Heat are also dealing with an injury that could loom large in the series.

The Philadelphia 76ers are slated to begin their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Miami Heat without Joel Embiid, but the Miami Heat are also dealing with a big injury that could greatly impact the series.

The loss of Kyle Lowry, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, could loom large for the Heat against the Sixers. He has missed the last two games against the Atlanta Hawks in the team’s first-round victory and his status for Game 1 against the Sixers appears bleak.

Especially if Embiid is out for Game 1, it would be unlikely for Lowry to play Monday night. Knowing how the Heat operates, they’ll probably try to buy some more time as Lowry continues to recover.

Nevertheless, his loss will hurt even if it is just for a couple of games. Without Embiid, the strength of the Sixers flips toward the backcourt. The emergence of Tyrese Maxey of James Harden has given the Sixers an element that many didn’t expect them to have at the beginning of the season.

Dating back to the last few years, the Heat’s point of attack defense has always been questioned. And it’s something that the team will have to prove it has solved, especially against Philly. And Lowry was a big part of that solution.

Even though he’s no longer the elite defender he once was, he still played a vital role in controlling the opposing team’s perimeter penetration. While the Heat still has good perimeter defenders, losing Lowry is bigger than many realize.

The Heat will likely want to deploy Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker, and either Caleb Martin or Victor Oladipo on Harden. Without Lowry, that really leaves just Gabe Vincent and either Martin or Oladipo for Maxey.

Plus, even without Embiid, the Heat still needs to account for Tobias Harris, who is better than he gets credit for.

It may not have been evident against the Hawks, but there’s no question that not having Lowry (or even a fully healthy Lowry) will certainly hurt the Heat in this series. Perhaps the winner of this series will be determined by which team gets their star back first, Lowry or Embiid.