Joel Embiid has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, according to a Feb. 28 report from ESPN’s Shams Charania. Embiid has been struggling with a knee issue all season having undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus last year.
The Philadelphia 76ers currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference. They’ve only had Embiid available for 19 games. During those contests, he’s averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. However, even when on the court, it’s been clear that Embiid is miles away from his best.
Without the former MVP in the rotation, the Sixers are unlikely to make a push for the playoffs. Paul George, who was acquired from the LA Clippers in free agency, is reportedly dealing with a finger injury. As such, Tyrese Maxey will be forced to shoulder any additional workload that comes his way.
The Sixers are likely shutting Embiid down for the season to allow him to receive the necessary treatment. The hope is that he can return at full health, either for preseason or by October.
Sixers Were Previously Urged to Rebuild Roster
Both Embiid and George come with injury history. Neither has been able to stay healthy in recent years, with Embiid often looking a shadow of himself during the playoffs. On Feb. 7, during an ESPN halftime show in a game the Sixers lost to the Detroit Pistons, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins urged Daryl Morey to rebuild the roster.
“Trade them both,” Perkins said during an ESPN half-time show as the Sixers lost to the Pistons on Feb. 7. “We’ve been talking about where Kevin Durant is gonna go this offseason with the Phoenix Suns. Same thing with the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid and Paul George are both in Tyrese Maxey’s way.”
Morey knew the risks of adding George to the Sixers roster. He knew he was building a team around two injury-prone stars. However, if both George and Embiid can produce a fully healthy season at the same time, they could still bring a championship to Philadelphia. Unfortunately for Sixers fans, they will have to wait another year, at least.
Sixers Paul George Has Put Podcasting on Pause
In an effort to help the Sixers turn their season around, George has recently announced that he is putting his podcast on hiatus.
“It’s no secret this season is up to this point, man,” George said in the latest episode of his ‘Podcast P with Paul George’ podcast. “It hasn’t been what we envision…With that being said, though, I want to let the Podcast P family know that after today’s episode with Dwight (Howard), I plan to take a break from the pod to focus on getting my body right, getting mentally right and help this squad make a push towards our goal. To finish the season, I’ll give ourselves a chance to be in contention to compete for a championship.”
Unfortunately for George, the Sixers’ chances of contending for a championship, or making a deep postseason run are all but over. Without Embiid, Nick Nurse’s team lacks the high-end talent to compete with the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.
As such, the Sixers will now face the inevitable media scrutiny as they look to navigate the final months of the season. And, once the postseason arrives, the will have some difficult decisions to make regarding the current roster construction.
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