With Joel Embiid’s knee injury, the 76ers have a big decision to consider.
The 2022-23 NBA MVP has been diagnosed with a slipped meniscal flap, or a type of tear, in his left knee and is considering surgery as a result. Sources told The Athletic:.
The paper said Embiid’s doctors and the 76ers will continue to discuss the best path forward, and one person close to Embiid suggested a decision will likely be made on Monday.
On Thursday, Philadelphia announced that Embiid tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee before a 127-124 road win against the Jazz and will miss the remainder of the weekend, including Saturday night’s game against the Nets.
Now, this could extend beyond the weekend and have implications for the Eastern Conference.
Embiid originally injured his knee against the Pacers on January 25th, in which he played 31 minutes and scored 31 points.
After that, Embiid missed the next two games against the Nuggets and the Trail Blazers, and after being scratched late in the previous game, the 76ers removed Embiid from the league for not listing him on the injury report in an accurate and timely manner. He was fined $5,000. ”
Embiid returned to action against the Warriors on Tuesday, but suffered another knee injury in the fourth quarter when Jonathan Kuminga hit him in the left knee.
If this becomes a long-term problem for the 76ers and Embiid, it could seriously jeopardize the East playoff race.
Philadelphia opened Saturday in fifth place in the conference with a 30-17 record and is now 4-9 this season without Embiid.
He could also be removed from consideration for the MVP award, as the NBA requires candidates to play in at least 65 games.
Embiid has only played in 34 of the 76ers’ 47 games this year.
There are 36 games left in the regular season, and he can only miss five more.
