Joel Embiid will continue to look for a solution to his left knee injury. What does it mean for the Philadelphia 76ers‘ draft and free agency plans?
After the Philadelphia 76ers officially ruled out big man Joel Embiid for the season, ESPN’s NBA insiders are breaking down how the 2023 MVP and Philly got here, plus what’s next for all sides.
Joel Embiid was in the midst of one of the most dominant scoring seasons in NBA history before Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga accidentally fell onto his leg on Jan. 30, 2024. Prior to that moment, Embiid had scored more points than minutes played in the 2023-24 season, something no one had since Wilt Chamberlain more than 60 years ago.
Embiid had a procedure on that left knee a short time later, and it has remained a constant source of trouble for him for the last calendar year, up to when he and the Philadelphia 76ers decided Friday that his 2024-25 season was done.
While Embiid came back near the end of the 2023-24 regular season and played in Philadelphia’s six-game loss to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, he was clearly less than 100%. (It was exacerbated by him dealing with a bout of Bell’s Palsy during that series, too.)
Yet Embiid was still a force in that series, averaging 33.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. That performance was encouraging enough that Embiid was expected to put up a strong performance for Team USA in the Paris Olympics before being ready to go for training camp in the fall. But while Embiid did win a gold medal with Team USA, he struggled for large portions of the run while playing with a bulky brace on that left knee — though he did have a strong performance in the fourth quarter of the team’s legendary semifinal comeback against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
Embiid arrived for training camp unable to get started on time. What initially was expected to be a few-day ramp-up quickly morphed into a few weeks, with Embiid eventually making his season debut on Nov. 12 against the Knicks.
By then, Philadelphia was 2-8. In fact, Embiid didn’t play in a win until Dec. 8, when he returned after a seven-game absence to help the 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls. They then ripped off eight wins in 12 games — including going 7-2 when Embiid played — highlighted by a win in Boston on Christmas.
After a win at the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 4, the 76ers stood at 14-19, and were a game back of the Bulls for the final East play-in spot. Embiid then missed the next month with both a foot sprain and the ongoing knee issues. He finally returned a month later in a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 4.
That was the final win Embiid played in. Philadelphia dropped his final five games of the season, including Saturday’s two-point loss to the Nets that saw him spend the fourth quarter watching from the bench. The team remains mired in a eight-game losing skid, continuing a theme from throughout the season that saw Philadelphia consistently struggle with him on the court for the first time since his rookie year. — Tim Bontemps
To this point, the 76ers have yet to say anything other than they’re going to try to keep winning and attempt to make the postseason. But that was also before this news, as Embiid officially being shut down culminates a disastrous season for himself and the franchise.
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Friday’s news will undoubtedly lead to questions about how much longer Paul George will keep playing this season. But, more than anything, this decision will now turn all attention to Philadelphia’s top-6 protected first-round pick, the remnant of the 2020 deal that sent Al Horford to Oklahoma City for Danny Green.
The 76ers currently sit in sixth in the lottery — which still gives the 76ers less than a 50% chance of keeping their pick. Will they lean into that path, and try to maximize their chances of keeping it, or instead keep trying to win? At this point, it’s fair to wonder if it matters either way.
But with star rookie Jared McCain already sidelined for the season with meniscus surgery, there isn’t much for 76ers fans to latch onto right now.
