Joel Embiid suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers on 19 occasions this season. He was clearly still struggling with a knee injury that had derailed his Sixers career for the past 18 months.
Embiid was shut down by the Sixers at the end of February. He has since undergone his second surgery in the past 12 months. During a May 8 appearance on “The Mike Missanelli Show” on 97.5 The Fanatic, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey provided an update on Embiid’s recovery process.
“Look it looks optimistic,” Morey said. “He’s with the doctor who did Kawhi (Leonard). He was up in New York, working with him this week. He’s working every day at the facility. I was with him yesterday, working with his folks. So he’s working hard, doing whatever he can to get back out on the floor. This is, you know, I mentioned this before. His issues are not, you know, I break my arm, it heals, and you come back. This is more of a complex case where these things can trend in a good direction over time, and we believe they will.”
Sixers fans will be hoping that this latest surgery allows Embiid to get back on the court. When healthy, he’s still one of the most dominant players in the NBA. Philadelphia’s entire roster has been constructed around his unique skill set.
Embiid’s Surgery Was in April
In April, the Sixers provided an update on Embiid’s current injury. The team revealed that he’d undergone surgery on April 11, and the procedure had been deemed a success. The team then noted he would be re-evaluated after a six-week period.
“Joel Embiid underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Wednesday,” The Sixers reported. “The procedure was performed at NYU Langone Sports Medicine Center by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow. Embiid will be re-evaluated in approximately six weeks.”
Embiid, 31, has struggled with a string of injury issues throughout his career. As such, there’s genuine concern that the latest surgery may not yield the desired results. Those concerns will be elevated further if Embiid’s conditioning isn’t at an elite level by the start of next season.
Sixers and Embiid Have Reportedly Clashed
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, both Embiid and the Sixers’ front office clashed during the season. The two parties had different ideas on how best to approach his recovery and injury management throughout the season.
“There was some tension there between Joel Embiid and that front office, from my understanding,” Charania said on an April 3 episode of NBA Today. “The team believed he needed to play at some points of the season, that he needed to get his conditioning right through playing and getting better that way. He felt like he needed surgery. He ends up getting the surgery.”
Despite the reported tension, Embiid and the front office eventually agreed on surgery. However, only time will tell if that decision will pay dividends. Still, Sixers fans will continue to hold out hope that their star player is ready to go once the 2025-26 season begins.
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