76ers’ Daryl Morey Shares Positive Outlook on Joel Embiid

As Joel Embiid embarked on a historic season, the reigning MVP found himself battling knee concerns as the season progressed. Unfortunately, his 29-minute shift against the Golden State Warriors on January 30 ended early as he suffered a meniscus injury.

Embiid took a few days to weigh out his options and ultimately decided to undergo a surgical procedure to correct the issue. The Sixers don’t have an exact timeline for his full recovery but plan to re-evaluate the seven-time All-Star four weeks after the procedure took place.

With the Sixers unable to offer clarity on Embiid’s potential return to basketball activities, there’s no telling whether or not he’ll return in time for a possible playoff run.

Several reports indicated there’s a possibility Embiid could be back out on the floor even before the 2024 playoffs arrive; therefore, the Sixers aren’t closing the door on that scenario just yet. On Friday, Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey offered a positive outlook on the big man’s recovery.

“Feedback has been more good than bad since the first we've heard about what led to his procedure,” said Morey. “We're hopeful, and we're building the team to make it better this year. Obviously, it’s not 100 percent, but we felt like with Joel playing at an MVP level, we’re hopeful he can get back to that.”

The Sixers are nearly done preparing their final roster before playoff time. On Thursday, they took part in four trades, sending out several players and acquiring Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne. Over the next few weeks, the Sixers will be active in the buyout market as they look to build the best team possible while keeping Embiid in mind.

“This was a year that we got our real shot,” Morey explained. “Eye-test, data, whatever shows that we were beating great teams and really really beating up bad teams, but we were also beating good teams. Really, only one or two teams were, you could argue, were right there with us.”

In games Embiid played, the Sixers possessed a 26-8 record. Without him, Philadelphia has struggled and won just 25 percent of the 16 games they’ve competed in without the big man. Counting on the team getting healthier and gaining help from some additions, the Sixers hope to get back on track and clinch a spot in the postseason. And if all goes well for Embiid, there's a chance he’ll be able to return to the court to play for a tweaked roster that the Sixers’ front office believes is improved.