The Philadelphia 76ers find themselves right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture over halfway through the NBA season, currently holding a 30-18 record. Unfortunately, they will be without star center Joel Embiid for the foreseeable future after reports emerged on how Embiid plans to manage his left meniscus injury.
Embiid sustained the injury at the end of the fourth quarter in their matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Since then, he has been out with what is officially being ruled as a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee.
Typically, there are multiple avenues of rehab from a torn meniscus injury depending on the severity of the tear. Unfortunately for 76ers fans, Embiid’s injury appears to be serious enough to require surgery to repair it.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Embiid will be undergoing a procedure this week to repair the meniscus, with no clear timetable at this point for a return. Wojnarowski did add that Embiid will miss “an extended period of time.”
BREAKING: 76ers star Joel Embiid — the reigning MVP — will undergo a procedure this week to repair a left meniscus injury, a team official tells ESPN. A recovery timeline is expected after procedure, but expectation is that he will miss an extended period of time. pic.twitter.com/9c3ZqM7iT2
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2024
76ers fans already knew that this injury was going to force Embiid to miss some time. But many are now concerned about the remainder of the season for Embiid and whether or not he will be able to make a full recovery when he does come back.
Bummed for him… for the franchise… for the fanbase. He was having a historic season. Sixers can’t catch a break. Get well @JoelEmbiid. https://t.co/ECQZLwcQHf
— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) February 5, 2024
This feels like the right decision and we likely won’t know the full timeline until after the surgery. The doctors may not even fully know the route they are going until they get inside the knee from what I’ve heard/read
Prayers up for the big fella this totally sucks https://t.co/sXqEsnca0T
— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) February 5, 2024
Glad he didn't waste time or energy with the rest route. Bummed for him and the team and the fans that we are here again. https://t.co/ZAIiIDPzAG
— Spike Eskin (@SpikeEskin) February 5, 2024
The life of a 76er fan. It’s never happening. https://t.co/HcUx4hp8QK
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) February 5, 2024
Figured this was coming – feel like it’s the right move. Curious to hear more about timeframe on when we can realistically expect to see the big man back, but man… It doesn’t hurt any less lol
Still can’t believe it. Still gutted for him. Still questioning my existence. https://t.co/WJPou6QqEc
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) February 5, 2024
Considering this is an injury that Embiid has already sustained on his left leg in the past, it makes sense for both Embiid and the 76ers organization to approach this cautiously this time around.
Not only does this injury completely change this 76ers and potentially their postseason hopes as a team, it also completely affects Embiid individually in his change to become a back-to-back MVP this offseason.
The NBA’s new minimum of games played to be eligible to win an MVP award is 65 games. Thus far, Embiid has already missed 14 games, so he appears well on his way to taking his name out of the running for the award thanks to this injury.
As long as Embiid is healthy by the time the postseason comes around, the 76ers will be fine in the long run. That being said, this is a massive blow to their chances of a deep postseason run. And without Embiid, they could certainly be a candidate to struggle for the majority of the second half of the season.
[Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter/X]
