Doc Rivers, Daryl Morey Weigh in on What's Next for Embiid's Recovery

Joel Embiid did all he could to ensure he remains healthy for the Philadelphia 76ers' 2021 NBA Playoff run. For the first four games of the postseason, he was healthy and ready to roll. In the fourth matchup against the Washington Wizards, though, the streak would end.

11 minutes into the first quarter of Game 4 on the road in Washington, Embiid took a hard fall. In the process of going down on his back, Embiid planted his foot down on the ground and felt his knee buckle.

After coming off the court, Embiid went straight back to the Sixers' locker room. After missing the rest of the first half, the Sixers ruled the big man out for the remainder of the matchup as he was dealing with knee soreness.

The following day, Embiid received an MRI on his knee. Without an actual diagnosis to report at first, the 76ers offered some optimism as Embiid was considered to be doubtful for Game 5 against the Wizards rather than out.

Two days after the incident, optimism started going out the window when it was revealed that Embiid would be out for Game 5 due to a meniscus tear. Hearing the often-injured center had a tear in his knee, many believed Embiid's playoff run was in jeopardy.

But the big man powered through. Not only did Embiid make it out onto the court for Philly's Game 1 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the playoffs, but he never missed a game throughout the entire seven-game series.

It was difficult for Embiid to power through the pain, but he did it. Unfortunately, his team came up short, and it was all for nothing. While the four-time All-Star is understandably disappointed in the Sixers' season ending early, Embiid garners some much-needed time off to recover and reset for next season.

Now, the question is, what's next for Embiid and his recovery process? 

“I don’t know that [he'll get surgery or not]," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers on Monday morning, following the Game 7 loss on Sunday. "I want to say I don’t think so, but I have no idea, so I can’t answer that.”

According to Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, Embiid is undergoing another medical assessment on his knee to decide what's next. At this moment, there's no definitive plan.

“I know they’re going through a full assessment of him right now. The medical staff, along with Joel and his very good team of advisors, and the next step will be determined from that," Morey explained.

“I think, I mean, Jo is one of the smartest players I’ve ever worked with," he continued. "He likes to take lots of input from pretty much every top doctor in the country. Taking all of that input, the best decision will be made at that point.”

If Embiid does decide to undergo surgery for his torn meniscus, ideally, he would get the procedure done soon before offseason activities kick in. If Embiid elects to recover from the injury without getting a medical procedure done, he'll spend a nice chunk of his offseason continuing to get treatment while preparing for next year's training camp.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.