Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will be undergoing emergency surgery for appendicitis, the team announced on Thursday.
The seven-time NBA All-Star was originally ruled out of the Sixers game against the Houston Rockets with an illness being the diagnosis before being upgraded to a more serious case that required the immediate removal of his appendix.
No timeline has been placed on when he will return to the court, leaving Philadelphia without their franchise cornerstone yet again as the franchise chases an automatic playoff spot and prepares for the first round of the postseason.
Joel Embiid’s Injury, Expected Timeline
Appendectomies are not the most popular diagnosis in professional basketball, but they are not unheard of.
In Embiid’s case, it follows a line of criticisms on how the center finds new ways of getting hurt.
Injury analyst Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com provided Embiid’s most likely return timeline.
“Appendectomies are relatively uncommon in the NBA but have occurred with players like Grant Hill & OG Anunoby undergoing the procedure. The average time lost for in-season surgery is ~23 days (10.2 games). Median = 18 days,” Stotts wrote in a social media post.
The procedure itself is not a complex one; surgeons would remove the inflamed or infected appendix, often through small incisions. The other option is an open surgery which makes the healing time much longer.
The Sixers have yet to indicate what kind of procedure Embiid will undergo, but the plan will be to shorten his timeline.
According to what Stotts wrote, Embiid realistically could target a return in roughly three weeks, assuming a standard procedure is done and there are no complications. That means he is done for the regular season and is likely to miss a huge chunk of the first round if the Sixers make the playoffs proper.
How The Sixers Will Fare For The Meantime
This situation comes at a particularly frustrating time for Embiid and Philadelphia.
The 32-year-old star had just made a return to action in late March after missing almost a month with injury. He had played five games since he returned and averaged 28.2 points per game, including a 35-point showpiece against the Chicago Bulls in his first game back.
The Sixers have managed to survive to gain playoff contention through Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe, however, they have missed Embiid as well as Paul George for long stretches this season.
Both stars have played fewer than 40 games this season. For a while, the Sixers finally appeared to have their full arsenal assembled before this latest setback.
Last year, Embiid played only 19 games before knee surgery ended his campaign early. The year before saw him play 39 tilts and this season, 38. He is still yet to have a 70-game season in his career, and his health issues have been well documented and frustrating.
The Sixers enter Thursday’s game against the Rockets knowing fully well that it is a must-win, because only two games separate five teams from the last two direct playoff spots in the East.
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