Philadelphia 76ers star big man and reining MVP Joel Embiid will have a procedure done to repair a left meniscus injury, the team announced Sunday.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Embiid is expected to miss an unknown butt extended period of time.
Wojnarowski added that the “door isn’t closed” on Embiid returning at some point this season, however, there will be a clearer idea on a timeline once the procedure is complete this week.
Embiid has gone through an extensive injury history, including both knees in his career, and this one comes at the worse time possible for him personally and also the Sixers as an organization. The All-Star center is leading the NBA in scoring with 35.3 points a game and was on pace to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player to average at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a season. He is also the only player other than ‘Big Dipper’ in 1961-62 to average at least one point per minute played.
Embiid, 29 years-of-age, was forced to sit out Game 5 of the 2021 first-round playoff series versus the Washington Wizards with a small meniscus tear in his right knee and had season-ending surgery on his left meniscus in 2016-17, missing 37 games.
Embiid has been in and out of the lineup this season due to a chronic knee ailment. He sustained the meniscus injury in a January 30 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Embed from Getty ImagesCharania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic initially reported on February 3 that Embiid “was diagnosed with a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee and is considering surgery.”
A displaced flap “is considered to be a type of tear of the meniscus,” The Athletic added.
The injuries are a gut punch to Embiid’s MVP chances, as a player must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for any of the NBA’s major awards. With Embiid expected to be on the shelf for a significant period of time, it appears he will be ineligible for the award.
Embiid has been arguably the best player in the league this season, averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks in 34 games while shooting a scorching 53.3 percent from the floor and 36.6 from 3-point land.
Losing the big man for any amount of time is a tough break for the Sixers, who are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 30-18 mark. Paul Reed and Mo Bamba are picking up the slack at the center spot, but neither of them have come even close to equaling Embiid’s production.
