With the Philadelphia 76ers’ season sinking fast and Joel Embiid’s knee visibly holding him back, the center and the team are considering alternative options for handling his problem left knee.
It’s been a long year for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
After undergoing surgery on a meniscus injury back in February 2024, just over a year ago, no one knew how quickly Embiid would be back on the floor. After playing through the first round of the NBA playoffs and the 2024 Paris Olympics, though visibly hampered, hopes were high that Embiid would be ready for the Sixers’ 2024-25 season tipoff… until that day came and went with Embiid unavailable due to managing that knee injury and it’s recovery.
Since then, Embiid has intermittently tried to play through it this season, often battling visible discomfort and limited mobility throughout. He has managed to appear in just 19 of the Sixers’ 56 contests, and never in a streak of more than four games in a row before being sidelined again. With the team struggling beyond belief and this campaign looking like a lost cause entirely, many have wondered if Embiid would be shut down in an attempt to heal the nagging knee.
Well, we might finally be one step closer — it just took 56 games to get here, somehow. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday night that the team and Embiid are working with doctors on alternative options for the injured knee in the face of the lack of improvement in the joint over time so far.
The 76ers and Joel Embiid are consulting doctors and considering alternative options on his injured knee, sources tell ESPN. Sides have hoped for progress in Embiid’s body, but his efforts to play and current treatments, including injections, have not provided any improvement. pic.twitter.com/GXeqxC7Nwj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2025
The news comes less than 24 hours after Embiid limped his way through three periods of the Sixers’ loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. Embiid scored just 14 points on 4-for-13 field goal shooting with seven rebounds and five assists, and was visibly in pain and struggling with the knee on numerous occasions before sitting out the entire fourth frame.
Seeing little moments like this with Joel Embiid is driving me insane… Running out of ways to ask why this guy is out there. Organizational malpractice. pic.twitter.com/9jhqEAR0U1
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) February 23, 2025
Embiid has scored 15 or fewer points in consecutive games for the first time in almost four years, and again experienced swelling in his left knee after Saturday’s home loss to the Brooklyn Nets, sources said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2025
Turns out, Embiid experienced swelling in his left knee following the loss, Charania also reports. It’s not the first time this season the knee has responded such way to a workout or game — and that’s only thinking of the few instances it was actually reported.
This report at least feels like a step in the sane direction of getting Embiid off the court in his current state. He objectively is not physically able to perform his job right now and his presence on the court has become a detriment not only to his team but very possibly to his own health. Seeking alternative options hopefully implies that both the organization and — possibly more importantly — Embiid himself are coming to terms with that truth.
For what it’s worth, however, Embiid is currently just listed as questionable (left knee injury management) for the Sixers’ Monday night game hosting the Chicago Bulls.