There was an air of uncertainty around the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday due to Joel Embiid‘s latest injury scare. Embiid was ruled out against the Boston Celtics due to right knee soreness, which is a new injury that needed to get checked immediately.
According to ESPN’S Shams Charania, the MRI on Embiid’s right knee didn’t reveal any structural damage. The Sixers and their fanbase can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but the 2023 NBA MVP is considered day-to-day.
It’s not the same knee that has caused problems for Embiid in the past two seasons. He underwent surgery on his left knee back in April. Tuesday’s game was the first game of the season that Embiid missed that isn’t part of his usual scheduled rest, as reported by Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Embiid has not been cleared to play back-to-back games this season. He also started the campaign on a minutes restriction capped at 20 minutes before the team increased it to 25 minutes on October 30.
In six games this season, the 31-year-old big man is averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 blocks.
Left Knee Problems Plagued Embiid
After winning the NBA MVP in 2023, Joel Embiid has been plagued by injuries to his left knee. He has only played 58 regular season games in the past two seasons because of left knee issues, which included a lateral meniscus injury in February 2024.
Embiid was healthy enough to get called up by Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics, helping the national team win the gold medal. However, he was plagued by the same left knee last season, limiting him to just 19 games in total.
To salvage his knee, Embiid underwent arthroscopic surgery in April, as reported by ESPN. There was even talk about his career being in jeopardy, but he was cleared to play at the start of the season.
Embiid’s career has been plagued by foot and knee injuries, hindering him from reaching his full potential. He did have a fantastic peak, which put him alongside Nikola Jokic in MVP conversations from 2021 to 2023.
Embiid Called Out Sixers for Minutes Restriction Before Recent Injury
Before suffering right knee soreness, Joel Embiid expressed his frustration about being under a minutes restriction to start the season. Embiid wants to play more, though he’d be content with better usage of his limited time on the court to keep himself in rhythm.
“I’d rather not minute restrictions, but I’d rather get it out of the way. The longer I sit, the shorter stints, you don’t get in a rhythm… Longer stints, you’ll actually be able to let the game come to you. But then again, longer stints also means you might be done by halftime. But I can’t sit for too long… Being in shape is one thing, but being in basketball shape is another thing. You need to play, and you need to play a lot,” Embiid said, via Bleacher Report.
The Philadelphia 76ers did oblige with Embiid’s request and increased his restrictions to 25 minutes per game at the end of October. However, three games into his new rotational minutes, and he’s already experiencing a new injury to his other knee.
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