The Philadelphia 76ers had quite the exciting start to 2017. January saw the Sixers enjoy more success than they have in a long time and a lot of that was thanks to Kansas product Joel Embiid, who has taken the league by storm and even had a legitimate shot at making the All-Star game. It seemed like the 76ers were ready to become relevant again after years of disappointment.
Embiid has been an absolute monster for Philly and is putting up impressive per game averages of 20.2 points per game to go along with 7.8 rebounds on the season. However, in recent weeks, Embiid has seen his past injury issues rear it’s ugly head as he has been sidelined for the past eight straight games and eleven out of the last twelve.
Today we learned the culprit behind the discomfort in Embiid’s left knee, a torn meniscus. Following from Derek Bodner, former writer at Philly Magazine:
Joel Embiid has a torn meniscus in his left knee, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.
The tear was discovered after Embiid underwent an MRI following a 93-92 victory on January 20th over the Portland Trailblazers. Embiid left the game in the third quarter with a left knee contusion after landing awkwardly following a drive to the basket.
There is some thought that the torn meniscus could be a pre-existing condition which the ensuing MRI discovered, rather than caused by the fall on January 20th, although the two injuries being related has not been completely ruled out.
While a torn meniscus is a serious injury and nothing to be taken lightly, Bodner goes on to elaborate that Embiid’s knee will not require surgery and the injury will not be season-ending:
The tear is a low-grade tear and is not expected to require surgical intervention. It is unclear whether the tear is contributing to the soreness and swelling which has kept Embiid out of 11 of the last 12 games, including the last 8 in a row.
Embiid has been ruled out of tonight’s game against the Miami Heat, and there is a good chance he will remain out through the All-Star break, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
While the loss of Embiid has been hurting them already recently, it looks like Philadelphia is going to have to get even more used to life without their 7-foot anchor holding down the lane. With Embiid sidelined, expect to continue seeing more of Dario Saric and Jahlil Okafor.
