The Sixers shut down Joel Embiid for the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee at the beginning of March, and after a visit to doctors in Los Angeles they said that all options would be considered. Now, the Sixers and Embiid have decided to have his knee operated on.
Update:
Embiid to undergo surgery on meniscus in left knee in coming days. Additional details to be announced upon completion of procedure.— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 22, 2017
The immediate reaction is despair, especially considering Embiid’s injury history and what he went through with surgery complications in the past. With him already being shut down for the season, making a decision on surgery needed to be done with care but also expediently so they could get him started on the rehab process.
As Marc Stein initially reported, Embiid’s surgery will happen in the “coming days,” and there will not be a timetable presented until after the procedure, as what they have to do in the procedure will determine how long the rehab process will take.
For reference, we can look back at recent history with meniscus surgeries to try and understand what the possible timetable for Embiid could be — although it’s important to note that all players heal differently. As for a full repair, the best example is Russell Westbrook suffered a meniscus tear in late April 2013 and had surgery to fully repair it and returned in early November.
With the way the Sixers handled Embiid’s rehab from foot injury, we can expect them to try and be as cautious as possible with their young star center to ensure that there aren’t anymore significant setbacks next season.
