This season has been one to forget for the Philadelphia 76ers.
With 16 games to play, Philadelphia currently holds the 12-seed in the Eastern Conference at 20-36.
While the Sixers could still catch the 10-seed Chicago Bulls and sneak into the Play-In Tournament, it’s a staggering fall for the team that has finished over .500 every season since 2017-18, winning 50 or more games in four of the seasons.
There has been plenty to go wrong for the 76ers this season, but their biggest problem has been trying to keep 2023 NBA MVP center Joel Embiid on the court and healthy. Embiid has played in 19 games this season, one year after appearing in just 39.
Embiid’s meniscus has plagued the big man since surgery last February to repair a tear. Nothing in the rehab process has seemed to work and help the 30-year-old center be free of knee pain.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Embiid and the 76ers have started ‘exploring alternative options’ to fix Embiid’s knee.
The 76ers and Joel Embiid are consulting doctors and considering alternative options on his injured knee, sources tell ESPN. Sides have hoped for progress in Embiid’s body, but his efforts to play and current treatments, including injections, have not provided any improvement. pic.twitter.com/GXeqxC7Nwj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2025
Charania also noted that Embiid will undergo testing this week, and then meet with specialists to determine the next step.
With 16 games to go after Saturday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the 76ers are 16 games under .500, and it seems that surgery is even on the table for Embiid.
Embiid returned to the lineup on February 4 after missing a month with the knee injury. In February, the Sixers have gone 1-5 and Embiid is averaging 22.5 points per game on 42% shooting, well below the center’s career average. His 23.8 points per game on the season is also well below his career 27.7 points per game output.
Social media had a lot to say about the injury news.
This guy was in the midst of one of the greatest individual seasons ever just 13 months ago. This whole thing is just incredibly sad https://t.co/FL0q6Df1jZ
— Mike O’Connor (@MOConnor_NBA) February 24, 2025
I feel awful for Embiid. Lingering knee issues your entire career, multiple surgeries, and numerous other injuries. Continuously putting his body on the line and being told he let his deceased brother down. BITW just a year ago. They will never make me hate you. American Hero
https://t.co/4DbcDLJeBH
— dj (@embiiddefender) February 24, 2025
Hope this is just code for tanking, getting that pick legit determines the outlook this franchise for the next 10 years https://t.co/iAr1M5OJA6
— D (@SmittyReborn) February 23, 2025
I hope for Embiid’s sake that exhausting all options provides one that is a fix-all, but when you’re a year removed from the previous surgery and merely “considering alternative options” rather than taking an actionable step, that tells the story https://t.co/NITuPDJwxR
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 23, 2025
