Joel Embiid Injury: 76ers Reveal Re-Evaluation Timeline After Surgery
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that Joel Embiid underwent a successful procedure to address his injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee that he suffered in last Tuesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
While the team can’t put a date on Embiid’s return just yet, they made it clear that he will be re-evaluated again in approximately four weeks.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the recovery period over the next few weeks will be “paramount” in determining when he’ll return to the floor. For the time being, there “continues to be a belief that the door isn’t closed” on Embiid making a return to the floor at some point this season, per Wojnarowski.
With 49 games in the bag, the Sixers are 30-19 on the year. They currently place fifth in the Eastern Conference, trailing the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
Lately, the Sixers have struggled without Embiid on the floor. When he sat out against the Denver Nuggets on January 27 due to knee inflammation, Philly lost their second straight at the time. The streak increased to three in a row the following game against Portland.
Embiid managed to take the court for nearly 30 minutes against the Warriors on January 30, but his night ended during the fourth quarter when he suffered his latest setback. Amidst Embiid’s 14-point effort, the Sixers fell short to Golden State with a 12-point loss.
While the Sixers bounced back on the final game of their road trip against the Utah Jazz, they lost the following two games.
At this point, Philly has dropped six of their last seven games. While the team has more health concerns beyond Embiid holding them back, it’s clear they have a lot to work on as they search for an identity without the MVP big man, who was averaging 35 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists on the season.
