Joel Embiid Exploring ‘Alternative Options’ For Knee Issues

Joel Embiid’s career to this point has been unfortunately defined by injuries. A knee injury has been his most recent issue, as after winning the 2022-23 MVP award he started the ’23-’24 campaign looking like he might go back-to-back only for a torn meniscus to end his season after 39 games. Despite being a year removed from surgery on that knee, Embiid has continued to be bothered by his left knee, playing in just 19 games this season and struggling to reclaim his MVP form, averaging just 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game when he has been able to play.

Earlier this month, Embiid said he probably needed another surgery on his knee but wanted to keep playing, which raised plenty of eyebrows, particularly given this season appears to be a lost one for the Sixers. After falling to 12th in the East at 20-36 amid a 7-game losing streak, the Sixers and Embiid have finally decided to re-evaluate his situation and, according Shams Charania, they are meeting with doctors and having further imaging done on his knee to determine if there are “alternative options”, including the possibility of surgery, that could get his knee back to full health. According to Charania’s report, Embiid has gotten numerous injections and treatments but he continues to deal with swelling and discomfort, and the team and doctors are going back to the drawing board to explore the best options to proceed.

The Sixers latest loss to the Brooklyn Nets came with Embiid playing 31 minutes, and he has struggled mightily in his two games since the All-Star break. It’s very clear he’s unable to move the way he’s accustomed to and while he’s insisted that he still can help by being out there even if he’s not at 100 percent, that has not been enough to get Philly on track in what has become a disastrous season. With Embiid owed nearly $250 million over the next four years, the Sixers have to take a long view with his health, and this feels like an incredibly important moment because picking the correct treatment option and getting Embiid’s knee to not be a constant problem is vital to his ability to return to the level he wants to be at as a player and for the Sixers to be the kind of contender they hope to be as a team.