76ers star Joel Embiid was on the fast track to his second NBA MVP trophy, but now he’s on the fast track to the bench after being diagnosed with a misplaced meniscus flap. According to the latest update, the injury is quite complicated, and the amount of time that Joel will miss depends on which treatment option he chooses to pursue.
“Embiid was diagnosed with a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee and is considering surgery,” two sources told The Athletic. “Embiid, his doctors and the 76ers are continuing to discuss whether the best course of action is to rest and rehab the injury or to undergo a procedure that would require him to miss extended time.”
According to Dr. Michael Goldberg, a “displaced flap” occurs when a fragment of torn meniscus displaces into the tibia, causing severe pain and discomfort for the patient upon attempts to move the knee. For Embiid, the injury likely occurred in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Warriors, when he slipped on the court and caused trauma to his leg. Not long after the injury, he was sent home from the 76ers road trip, has a number of options on how to proceed. If he opts for rest and rehab, he could return to the court within a few weeks depending on his pain tolerance. If he seeks a more permanent solution and decides to get the surgery, it could very well cost him the season but it may help prevent further discomfort down the road. No matter what Joel decides to do, this is not how wanted this campaign to go for the reigning MVP. After such a dominant run this season, it’s a shame that he’ll be disqualified from winning any post-season awards but at this point, the only priority for Embiid is getting healthy for the playoffs so he can finally have a legacy-defining run.
Is The Season Over For The Philadelphia 76ers?
With averages of 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, Joel Embiid was having one of the best stretches of his career before going down with injury. After the dramatic departure of James Harden this summer, Embiid and his co-star, Tyrese Maxey, were carrying the 76ers through an impressive season with one of the best records in the East. Embiid was voted as an All-Star starter in January and was leading the MVP race by an enormous margin.
Already, the 76ers have taken a hit in the standings. After sitting at third for much of the season, they rank 5th in the East with a 30-17 record. With about half the season still left to go, a top-six seed is still in play for Philadelphia, especially if Joel comes back in a few weeks. Even if Embiid decides to get surgery, there is still hope that he can come back in time to help power a deep playoff run. For Joel, who turns 30 next month, the important thing is to preserve his durability for as long as possible even if means giving up on this season for the sake of extending his career. Regardless of what happens, this is a massive blow for the 76ers and for Embiid, who seemingly just can’t stay healthy for any long duration of time.
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