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The Philadelphia 76ers’ season took a potentially massive blow on Thursday with the announcement that star and reigning MVP Joel Embiid had suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee.
While Embiid likely avoided a season-ending injury, his timetable for a return to the hardwood is up in the air. Furthermore, an answer may not come for at least a few more days, as, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, there’s still “uncertainty” surrounding how the Sixers’ medical staff will proceed with treatment.
The idea of the same staff deciding the next step is also under a bit of fire. Embiid had already missed two games bothered by the same knee, but the Sixers cleared him to play on Jan. 30 against the Golden State Warriors. In that contest, he favored the knee throughout before hurting it further following a collision with Draymond Green.
There’s speculation that Embiid felt pressure to return and play through the injury for several reasons.
Having fallen to fifth in the East (29-17), the Sixers desperately need wins and those are much easier with Embiid on the floor. Also, after missing 12 games, he can only miss five more to remain eligible for postseason awards.
In addition, Embiid received heavy criticism after being scratched late from the lineup ahead of the 76ers’ matchup with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 27. Nuggets head coach Mike Malone was one of many who called out the MVP and urged the NBA to investigate the matter. Ironically enough, the league acted hours before the news of Embiid’s injury broke, handing the 76ers a $75,000 fine for failing to place him on the team’s injury report.
While Embiid’s injury silences ridiculous speculation over whether he faked an injury or dodged opponents, a larger question remains. What do the Sixers do now with the mess they potentially helped create? Whether or not Embiid needs surgery will likely answer that question, as that’ll be the difference between him being out for weeks or months.
Another concern is obviously Embiid’s injury history, especially when it comes to lateral meniscus tears. This is the fourth time he’s suffered the injury, twice in both knees. However, he only required surgery once during the 2016-2017 season, which caused him to miss the final 37 games of the campaign.
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