Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid has still been dealing with the effects of his torn meniscus last year, as the team has now made the decision to sideline him for the rest of the 2024-25 season (per ESPN's Shams Charania).
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In a statement released by the team, they said that Embiid has been consulting with top specialists regarding his ongoing left knee issues and after further evaluation, it has been determined, "he is medically unable to play and will miss the remainder of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation."
As of now the 76ers are currently on a nine-game losing streak and have a 20-38 record, ranking them sixth-worst in the league.
Ahead of the season starting, the new-look Philadelphia roster, which included newly signed Paul George playing alongside budding star Tyrese Maxey and Embiid, looked to have high hopes of being a championship-contending team.
Yet fast forward to now, the tumultuous season may end in the team trying to tank for a good draft selection.
That is, the 76ers currently own a top-6 protected draft pick, which will be owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder if they are not 1-6 in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery. With this in mind, the team is teetering on the edge of holding on to that pick, so losing may be in their best interest moving forward.
In view of Embiid's injury, some have criticized the decision to let him play for Team USA this past summer, as he could have opted for surgery this offseason and had been presumably healthy to suit up for majority of the season.
Instead Embiid has missed 39 games out of 58 this year.
The 2x NBA scoring champ will be turning 31 on March 16, as many have started to question Embiid's future.
Nevertheless, there is no denying Embiid's dominance when healthy. During the 2022-23 season Embiid earned MVP honors, and has been elected as an All-Star each of his past seven seasons (prior to 2024-25 season).
Since being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Embiid has averaged 27.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game across nine seasons.
Related: Tyrese Maxey Calls Out Joel Embiid At Team Meeting As Philadelphia 76ers Fall To Last Place
