The Philadelphia 76ers announced on Wednesday that star center Joel Embiid would miss the remainder of the 2017 season after a recent scan determined his meniscus tear was more severe than originally believed.
“The assessment of Monday’s follow-up MRI of Joel Embiid’s left knee appears to reveal that the area affected by the bone bruise has improved significantly, while the previously identified meniscus tear appears more pronounced in this most recent scan,” said Sixers Chief Medical Director Dr. Jonathan Glashow. “We will continue to work with leading specialists to gather additional information through clinical examination and sequential testing to determine the best course of action and next steps.”
Embiid’s status had been recently changed to “out indefinitely” due to knee swelling, but after the latest scan, the Sixers say he has been ruled out for the rest of the season. This comes days after 2016 No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons was ruled out for the season by Philadelphia after he had a setback in recovery from his fractured foot that required another minor procedure.
For Sixers fans these are just the latest in a long line of frustrating injuries that have kept young stars off of the court. Andrew Bynum Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have all dealt with season-ending injuries in recent years, but this may be the most frustrating because of the promise Embiid had shown this seasonafter sitting out two full seasons since being drafted to recovery from a foot injury of his own.
He was the heavy favorite to win rookie of the year after posting averages of 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.1 assists per game in his 31 games played. Despite those incredible numbers, history tells us he doesn’t stand a chance for the award having played only 31 games and 786 minutes.
The fewest minutes played by a Rookie of the Year winner was 1,559 (Kyrie). The fewest games played was 50 pic.twitter.com/Yrjs9EVwxK
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) March 1, 2017
Embiid and the Sixers appeared to be on the rise and their long process was finally coming to fruition. Now, that promise has turned into more injury anxiety as Embiid will miss the rest of this season to deal with his torn meniscus. Embiid has all the talent in the world and has put that on display this season, showing his potential to be a dominant force in the NBA. The Sixers know they have their big man of the future, which is why they moved Nerlens Noel at the trade deadline to Dallas, but now the waiting game begins again for the organization and its fans to see when their young star can get back on the court.
