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Joel Embiid Suffers Meniscus Injury, Will Be Re-Evaluated After The Weekend

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Author and Dylan MacKinnon
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 25: Joel Embiid #21of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 25, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

For the past few days, Sixers fans have waited in fear of the coming Joel Embiid injury news. With his history, and how it looked on Tuesday night, fans feared the worst. The reality is maybe slightly better than people hoped. But worse than they hoped too. Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Joel Embiid has torn his left meniscus.

So the good news, is that it does not seem like a season-ending injury. But it is just another injury the big man has to play through. And this time it happens in the middle of a historic season by him. Embiid is averaging over a point per minute, something only 1 other player in NBA history has accomplished. If he stayed healthy, he appeared to be a near lock to repeat as MVP. And he had the Sixers playing the best basketball we have seen them play as a team.

Now, who knows how the rest of the season will go? He could come back eventually, and look great. But the injury could also linger and it will be another playoffs with Embiid limited.

This comes on top of all the other injuries the Sixers have battled. Deanthony Melton and Robert Covington have been out for an extended period of time already. Tyrese Maxey missed the last few games too. Now, they are without Embiid for at least the weekend, and likely further beyond that.

The goal needs to be his long-term health. For the playoffs, and the future. So as tempting as it is to bring him back as quickly as possible, what is best for him and the team is to hold back until he is actually ready. They tried to force him back against the Warriors, and it may have contributed to this injury. Hold him back, and hope the rest of the team is enough to keep them afloat. And maybe go out and trade for a center before the deadline.

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10 Things Daryl Morey Said When He Joined Us From The Sixers Gala

  • How He Feels About Th Season So Far

     “Coach Nurse has the group playing at a very high level. Joel is as locked in as I have ever seen. Maxey is playing as well as we hoped. People right now are taking for granted how he is playing. We think he is a for sure All-Star, and going into this year that is what we needed. Then you have guys like Tobias who has really stepped up lately. Nic Batum. Pat Beverly feels like he was born to play in Philly. So it is pretty exciting. “

  • If Injuries Have Hampered Their Ability To Evaluate This Team

    “Obviously you’d love to have perfect health from day 0. But injuries in the regular season, as long as they are not things that will affect you going forward, I think can be healthy for a team. Guys get a chance to step up and play. Jaden Springer has given us good minutes. Mo Bamba recently gave us good minutes. Those guys could be asked to play in the playoffs.”

  • Calls The Celtics The Team To Beat

    “I think we are one of the few championship contenders. But you have to be realistic about where you are relative to other teams. Boston is the favorite right now to come out of the East… Boston is playing at a very high level, it’s a team we focus a lot on. I think Milwaukee is also right there with us.”

  • On If They Know What Direction They Will Go At The Trade Deadline

    “We have a sense of it. Guys have played enough minutes. We have seen the players play within (Nick Nurse’s) system. Coach has added a lot of things both offensively and defensively… Thats really the only thing we do. We just had a 5-hour meeting focusing on the trade deadline. That is coming up here.”

  • On The Players They Added in The James Harden Trade

    “The two you mentioned, (Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris). Both are giving more than we thought going in. Marcus is from Philly. Yesterday he gave us a ton of great minutes. Nic has been maybe the best pairing with Joel for that kind of a player since Joel has been here. I know Joel feels that way. Covington when he was healthy he was giving us good minutes. KJ Martin, I feel bad for. He has played very well prior to this. Nick has a hard job figuring out who to play. But I do think if KJ had gotten all those minutes, we would be talking about him right now.”

  • Calls Joel Embiid The Best Player He Has Ever Had

    “For players I have had on a team, I felt I would never have someone beat James Harden. I have had a lot of great players. Tracy McGrady, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard. But what Joel is doing right now is hard to fathom. On both ends, offense and defense. The approach he brings each night, and the leadership he has show to this group. I never thought it would happen, but it has been great.”

  • On Why They Had So Much Faith Maxey Would Take This Leap

    “It is his work ethic, how he has added to his game every year. I have to give Coach Nurse a lot of credit. He felt like when he watched Tyrese, he could utilize him even more. Guys going into their 4th year can sometimes step up, and he did. It’s been amazing to watch. Nick and Joel told him, you have the ultimate green light. Take every other shot. Put the fear of god into the defense. You can be that guy, you should be that guy, and he is doing it right now. “

  • On The Work Nick Nurse Has Done With Joel Embiid

    “He has always been a defensive innovator. So I knew that would come. He has utilized Joel in different ways. But is really on offense where I thought they clicked. In the off-season, Nurse said we need to prep you for the playoffs. We need to make you hard to guard in the playoffs. And that means being less predictable. So we need to spend all of this season working on different actions, so when we get to those games in April, May, and June, you’ll be ready to make any defense pay depending on what look they throw at you.”

  • On How Tobias Harris Has Played This Year

    “We are getting the best Tobias. Nick wasn’t as used to him. But I was like I promise you, whatever you tell Tobias to do, he is going to go out there and do it. You cant say that a lot of guys with his pedigree and the amount of money he makes. Some guys aren’t willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win, but he does.”

    https://x.com/sixers/status/1745998329199112507?s=20

  • His Message To Fans Impatient With The Team Not Making a Move Yet

    “Evaluate us at the right time, which is the playoffs, and how the team looks going into them. Most of the trades that really help teams happen closer to the deadline. The ones that happen earlier than that usually have one team overpaying. Generally those don’t help you as much. We are evaluating everything. We obviously look at everything. I do want to tell the fans that calling the same team over and over again doesn’t actually help a deal get done… If a player becomes available that can help us, we will for sure be right there.”

  • You can watch the full interview with Daryl Morey below:

Tyrone Johnson is the host of “The Best Show Ever” on 97.5 The Fanatic. He has been with the station for the past 8 years. Before working at the Fanatic, Tyrone produced political radio, did financial reports, and was assistant chief engineer of another radio station. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic, Tyrone writes articles on the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.

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