The past 3 seasons The Philadelphia 76ers have endured a tough road with rebuilding and their fair share of injuries to promising young talent Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.
The 76ers knew what they were getting themselves into when they drafted Embiid with the 3rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, but they might have not expected this. Embiid gave us a glimpse back in March of what we can expect if he returned next season with this dunk.
Word came out a couple of months ago Embiid suffered a setback that was minor, but it looks like that “minor” setback might require more attention than expected.
“We’re still waiting,” [Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil] said. “We have another three doctors to come see him. The nice thing about jobs like these – you can literally get the best experts in the world. All you have to do is call and they love to see us.”
He added that the franchise could get an answer about the 7-foot center’s future in “a couple of weeks.” …
“We’re trying to figure out with a 21-year-old how do you focus wholly on long-term health and wellness and make sure he’s OK,” O’Neil said. “So what we’re doing now is seeing experts, the best experts from around the world, to make sure we make the right decisions with him and his family and do the best.”
Embiid’s setback is quite alarming since he’s yet to see any action since sitting out all season, and a center with foot problems is a big red flag but it’s something we’ve seen some players recover from and some have been forced to retire because of the injuries.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton last year gave us a look at players that have suffered the same injury Embiid is going through, and the list has some impressive names on it.
The most notable players are Bill Walton and Yao Ming both players that had excellent careers one is a hall of famer, and the other one could be or could have been one if the injuries didn’t pile up.
Two players that had success even though they suffered the injuries are Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Boston Celtics legend now Houston Rockets Head Coach Kevin McHale.
So hopefully word comes along the setback is minor, but we will have to wait a couple of weeks for the specialists to take a look, but for Philadelphia lets hope it remains a minor setback.
