Joel Embiid to undergo arthroscopic surgery

After a month of deliberating, Joel Embiid and the Sixers have elected for another surgery in hopes to heal his left knee.

It appears a decision has been made.

Shams Charania of ESPN has reported that Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his troubled left knee. Embiid will be re-evaluated in six weeks and is expected to make a full recovery. The Sixers have confirmed this will happen next week.

This decision comes about a month after weighing all possible treatment options and avenues. Embiid was ruled out for the rest of the season at the end of February to explore possibilities to get better.

Before a March 26 game against the Washington Wizards, head coach Nick Nurse had implied that the team, Embiid, and doctors had given their final consultations and it was a time to pick a course. A week later, it appears another surgery is the way they’re going. It’ll be the second surgery on his left knee in the past 14 months.

What exactly Charania means by “expected to make a full recovery” is interesting. As has been much discussed in the past year, the full repair surgery for a torn meniscus was not an option for Embiid in February of 2024. After already having his left meniscus repaired in 2017.

Instead he had pieces of his meniscus removed. That allowed him to return for the playoffs last season, but in the time since he has said that he probably returned too quickly.

There will be a lot of unknowns going forward, specifically what type of procedure he is getting done. Despite the wording of Charania’s report, it’ll be hard to tell if Embiid will be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Embiid’s constant problems with his left knee allowed him to only appear in 19 games this season.