Joel Embiid‘s checkered injury history, one which kept him from playing in the NBA until this year, is well documented. According to a report out of Philadelphia, Embiid’s health has suffered another setback in the form of a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Embiid has played in one game since Jan. 21, and on Saturday afternoon, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner told reporters that he is “not healthy” and “not able to play right now.” The extent of Embiid’s injury was unknown until today, when we learned about his torn meniscus from Sixers reporter Derek Bodner.
The tear was discovered after Embiid underwent an MRI following a 93-92 victory on January 20th over the Portland Trailblazers. Embiid left the game in the third quarter with a left knee contusion after landing awkwardly following a drive to the basket.
There is some thought that the torn meniscus could be a pre-existing condition which the ensuing MRI discovered, rather than caused by the fall on January 20th, although the two injuries being related has not been completely ruled out.
The report was confirmed by Colangelo.
GM Bryan Colangelo just admitted MRI shows @JoelEmbiid has a torn meniscus in knee. Not sure about surgery yet. #sixers @SportsRadioWIP
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) February 12, 2017
Here is the play where Embiid reportedly suffered the injury.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFeHPzqPKWg
The one game where Embiid played came against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 27, a game in which he scored 32 points in a 123-118 loss. According to Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo, Embiid suffered swelling in his knee after the game as a side effect from a bone bruise. Embiid also underwent an MRI on Jan. 20 which reportedly came back negative.
The good news, according to Bodner, is that the “tear is a low-grade tear and is not expected to require surgical intervention.” This is great from a basketball perspective and a human perspective, because it would be horrible if someone who missed the first two years of their professional career had to get a surgery that would almost certainly lead to them getting shut down for the year.
As for a timetable, Bodner reported that there is a “good chance” Embiid could be out through the All-Star break, while Colangeo was unable to speak to this with any certainty. The Sixers have three games during this timeframe – a home matchup against Miami and trips to Charlotte and Boston.
(Via Derek Bodner)
