It might be too early to claim that Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid’s career will end up going the way of other big men of the past, Greg Oden and Sam Bowie included. However, his early-career injuries are starting to raise some major questions marks.
According to CSN Philly, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft is set to have a second surgery on his right foot.
Remember, Embiid missed his entire rookie season after undergoing preseason surgery on his foot. Seen by some as a precautionary move by Philadelphia, his outlook seemed to be good heading into the summer.
Unfortunately, reports surfaced last month that Embiid suffered a setback in recovering from the broken foot he suffered that led to surgery last year. At that point, there was no further indication that the big man would need a second surgery. Instead, the Sixers were seeking opinions of medical experts around the basketball world.
While CSN Philly stopped short of indicating that Embiid will miss the entire 2015-16 season, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting he will likely miss the entire season.
“I would say there’s a great possibility that Embiid won’t play next year,” a source told Pompey. “Just think how long they sat him when they thought he was healthy.”
While Philadelphia did add Jahlil Okafor with the third pick in last month’s draft and still has Nerlens Noel on the roster, this could be a huge blow to the team. If Embiid has to go through two NBA seasons without playing a single game, it doesn’t bode well for his future.
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