Amid the ongoing turmoil already present in what has been a rollercoaster season for the Philadelphia 76ers, center Joel Embiid’s injuries continue to play a factor.
After he missed the last six games with a left foot sprain, the Sixers will be without their star for at least another week, the team announced Friday, as Embiid deals with swelling in his left knee after an on-court workout Thursday. Embiid will miss the team’s upcoming road trip to be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days.
“While the foot sprain has healed, Embiid experienced an increase in swelling in his left knee following the workout,” the Sixers said in a statement. “After consulting with team medical staff and external doctors, Embiid will receive treatment in the coming days to address the swelling.”
Embiid’s setback is one of several blows to Philadelphia’s wonky season thus far. After dealing with and recovering from a foot sprain, Embiid was on track to return to the 76ers before his knee began to swell.
This new injury provides a setback for both Embiid and the Sixers, who hold a 15-24 record and sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Embiid, who has played just 13 games this season, adds to what has been an injury-ridden season for various reasons. He missed the beginning of the season due to left knee management, and upon making his season debut, was suspended for shoving a Philadelphia sports columnist.
As Embiid continuously dealt with his knee issues, he missed time in mid-December due to a sinus fracture injury. When on the floor, Embiid has been a factor for Philadelphia, averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Sixers need Paul George to step up without Embiid
In a haywire season for the Sixers, there has been one constant truth: They don’t win without Embiid. The team went 7-2 with him in the lineup after his early December return, climbing out of the pit of the East to get back to the verge of the Play-In Tournament. But since Embiid went down again with a left foot sprain in early January, they’ve lost five of six games. The 76ers’ lone win came against the worst team in the league, when Tyrese Maxey beat the Washington Wizards with a go-ahead layup with 23 seconds left.
The Sixers said Embiid will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days, but that’s simply a checkpoint in this process to get him back on the floor. The fact that his knee swelling is once again sidelining him after recovering from another injury is alarming. But the question for this team all year has been whether it can hold down the fort without Embiid and keep the season afloat. The idea is that Embiid paces himself in the regular season, gets right for the playoffs, and the Sixers make a run from the play-in, right now, that’s not even in the cards.
This is the moment when Paul George needs to step up and prove he is still a star. The Embiid, George and Maxey trio has only played 10 games together and has shown in those moments that this team is capable of competing this spring. But this is the time for George to go on a huge scoring run and right the ship, showing he can be a force when needed. He’s been shooting well this past week, but it’s still not the elite-level basketball you expect from him.
Embiid may be back in the near future, but nothing is ever a given with his health. The Sixers need some confidence that they are more than a franchise reliant on a one-time MVP with an unstable knee. That simply has not happened this season. — Jared Weiss, NBA staff writer
Required reading
(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
