On Thursday, Joel Embiid went down with what appeared to be a left knee injury. As you might imagine, panic immediately set in for the reigning league MVP who has suffered far too many debilitating injuries in his NBA career.
We now know that Embiid’s injury is what’s being described as a “displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee.” That doesn’t sound like a normal medical term, at least not one that’s used often in the sports world. So what does it mean for the Philadelphia 76ers’ season?
Related: NBA MVP race
Joel Embiid weighing multiple options, including surgery after knee injury
As mentioned, Joel Embiid didn’t suffer a surefire season-ending injury like he’s experienced in the past. Yet, arguably the game’s best player is still set to miss time.
According to Shams Charania, Embiid is weighing his options, which include rest and rehab, or having a surgical procedure done on his left knee.
For the record, a displaced flap of the meniscus is considered a type of tear of the knee cartilage, but it is not believed to be a full tear.
In response, Embiid, his doctors, and the 76ers are working through what to do next, but one thing that is clear is that surgery would require him to miss an extended amount of action. Just how long that absence may be is unknown.
One source close to Embiid has mentioned that a decision could come by Monday. While he was previously the NBA MVP frontrunner, now that he has already missed 13 games and seems set to miss several more, there’s no chance he wins the award again in 2024.
