These are dark times for the Philadelphia 76ers, and it’s going to get worse before it gets any better. In the latest update out of Philly, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed the next step for Joel Embiid in his ongoing recovery process: surgery on his left knee.
“The Philadelphia 76ers announced that star center Joel Embiid is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery next week on his troublesome left knee,” wrote Shams. “Embiid will be re-evaluated in six weeks and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Joel Embiid, 31, was already ruled out for the season back in February to focus on his health and recovery. The season has been lost for months now for the 76ers, and they’ve used this time to get their stars right for the 2024-25 campaign. For Embiid, this marks his second surgery in 14 months after countless conversations and consultations with team doctors.
“For the past several weeks, the 76ers and Embiid have been working toward a solution for the knee issues that have dogged him for more than a year,” wrote Shams. “Those consultations with doctors and specialists ultimately led to the decision for Embiid to have surgery, with the hope being that he can get back to the level he had played at in prior seasons.”
This routine isn’t entirely new for Joel. For most of his career, the star big man has been riddled with injuries, giving him a reputation for being injury-prone and unavailable. After this latest news, many fans have given up on the former MVP altogether.
“The league misses a healthy Embiid, Jokic, and Embiid rivalry has been fun to watch for the last 4 years, and now we’re stuck with Shai as a rival,” wrote ‘BolWrld’ on X.
The details of his procedure are intricate and complicated, but some knowledgeable fans are questioning the decision to trim Embiid’s meniscus over a full-on repair.
“The issue now is that since they didn’t do a repair the first time, they are essentially getting rid of more meniscus,” wrote Dr. Evan Jeffries. “Which can lead to arthritis sooner rather than later.”
One fan even went viral for sharing a stunning statistic: Carmelo Anthony (who retired almost three years ago) has more points since the 2014-15 season (470) than Joel Embiid over his entire career thus far (452).
“Games played since the start of the 2014-15 season, the year Joel Embiid was drafted and Carmelo Anthony’s 12th year in the NBA: Melo – 470, Embiid – 452.”
In total, Embiid has missed over 400 games in his career, or at least 47% of all eligible games. The constant setbacks have limited the 76ers’ success to just a few playoff series wins, but this season is when they hit rock bottom.
This season, Embiid and his new co-star, Paul George, have combined for over $100.6 million on Philadelphia’s cap sheet. They were supposed to lead the Sixers to a respectable place in the East, but it’s been a total disaster so far, as they sit 13th in the standings at 23-53.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
