As anticipated, Sixers heart Joel Embiid has undergone arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee.
In keeping with a press launch from the staff, the process occurred on Wednesday and was carried out by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow at at NYU Langone Sports activities Drugs Heart. Embiid might be reevaluated in roughly six weeks, per the Sixers.
The 76ers dominated out Embiid for the remainder of the season on Feb. 28 after he continued to be affected by ongoing left knee points. He and the staff spent a number of weeks consulting with medical specialists and weighing remedy choices earlier than deciding to go the surgical route.
The knee in query is similar one Embiid underwent surgical procedure on in February 2024 after he suffered a lateral meniscus damage. The previous MVP was capable of return final April and performed all six video games of the Sixers’ first-round playoff collection towards New York within the spring earlier than suiting up for Group USA on the Paris Olympics over the summer time. Nonetheless, he continued to take care of swelling within the knee within the fall, which delayed his season debut till Nov. 12.
He by no means appeared absolutely wholesome after that, making simply 19 appearances this season and averaging 23.8 factors, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per sport. Whereas these numbers could be spectacular for many gamers, the scoring and rebounding charges had been properly beneath Embiid’s profession averages, as had been his 44.4% field-goal proportion and 29.9% mark on three-pointers.
The Sixers had reportedly been hoping that Embiid’s knee would enhance over the course of the season with extra reps, however when he continued to expertise soreness and swelling, he started to imagine he wanted one other surgical procedure. The disagreement over his remedy resulted in some rigidity between the franchise and its star heart, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Philadelphia’s season will come to an finish this Sunday, for the reason that staff has fallen properly out of the playoff race, so we received’t see Embiid again in motion till the autumn on the earliest. Nonetheless, his restoration course of might be fascinating to observe over the course of the offseason. As head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged this week, getting a wholesome Embiid again subsequent season might be essential for the 76ers to have an opportunity to contend within the East.
The Sixers are invested closely in Embiid for the subsequent a number of years. He’s owed $179M in assured cash over the subsequent three seasons, with a $69M participant possibility for 2028-29.
