PHILADLEPHIA, PA — Sixers superstar Joel Embiid will undergo a procedure to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, the team confirmed Sunday evening.
Details on how long Embiid will be out, however, remain scarce.
“It was described to me, the door is still very much open for (Embiid) to return this season,” ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski said. “There’s no point in guessing whether it’s four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks; we don’t know…at this point. They’ll know better once they go in, complete this procedure.”
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Embiid has been battling knee issues for much of the year. Controversy has broiled throughout the league that he pushed himself too far to return to the court due to the NBA’s new usage rules, including the mandate that players must play a minimum of 65 games to be considered for the MVP award.
Embiid was the frontrunner to win a second consecutive MVP before his injury. His torrid early season run included a legendary, franchise record 70-point performance last month. He leads the league with an average of 35.3 points per game, and has notched career bests in average rebounds (11.3), blocks (1.8), steals (1.1), and assists (5.7). However, that dominating work has come in just 34 of Philly’s 48 games.
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The Sixers have slid without their big man, losing five of their last six. The date of Embiid’s return could sway what moves, if any, team president Daryl Morey makes at the trade deadline, as the team looks to hold on to a solid playoff spot until Embiid’s return. They currently sit at 30-18, good for fifth in the East and just two games out of second.
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