Together, the phrases “big man” and “foot injury” are enough to send most NBA fanbases, front offices, and players into anxiety attacks. And so one can only imagine the reaction Philadelphia 76ers fans are having in regards to the latest news concerning center Joel Embiid.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, last year’s third overall pick, as selected by the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid “suffered a setback” while recovering from his right foot injury.
Concerns arose about Embiid’s health before last year’s NBA Draft, when he had surgery days before for a stress fracture in his foot. This caused his draft status to fall from the consensus number one pick to some wonder if he’d fall out of the top 10 altogether. The Sixers grabbed him with the third pick and sat him out for the entire 2014-2015 season.
Embiid’s rookie year was tough as the Sixers called him out for a lack of conditioning and maturity. However, there was reason to hope Embiid was turning the corner. Reports indicated he was looking dominant in workouts before the season ended and he had only gotten better in the summer.
Here’s Wojnarowski:
“Eyewitness accounts of Embiid’s workouts in recent weeks in Southern California described dominant, explosive performances, offering a glimpse into the kind of potential that could have had Embiid selected first overall in the 2014 draft.”
Now, this is the latest hurdle for the talented center to overcome. This also puts the Sixers in an interesting position as the draft approaches. There have been reports they’d had their eye on guard D’Angelo Russell, but recently they’ve also been linked to big man Jahlil Okafor. Okafor plays the same position as Embiid and could be seen as an insurance policy for the team.
Embiid is going to be fighting history in trying to come back from this latest health stumble. Yao Ming, Sam Bowie, Zydrunas llgauskas and of course the most tragic example, Bill Walton, are just a few big men whose careers were by foot injuries.
And it’s not just centers who have to worry. Right now, the NBA community is wondering if one of the most popular and best players in the world, Kevin Durant, will be fit to play once he returns from multiple surgeries on his foot.
Here’s hoping Embiid can shake off the injuries and be the dominant center many expected him to, because a core of D’Angelo Russell, Nerlens Noel and Embiid would be pretty damn entertaining and a potentially dominant team in the eastern conference for years to come.
There’s no current timetable on Embiid’s return.
(Via Yahoo Sports)
