It looks like the magic that was Joel Embiid’s rookie season in Philadelphia has officially come to an end. The team released a statement Wednesday saying that “The Process” will be sidelined for the rest of the 2016-17 season while doctors try to help him recover from his meniscus issue.
BREAKING: The Sixers have announced that Joel Embiid's meniscus tear is worse than originally thought, and that he's out for the season. pic.twitter.com/pFTOlV0GK4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 1, 2017
Here is an excerpt from the statement released from the team on the situation:
The assessment of Monday’s follow-up MRI of Joel Embiid’s left knee appears to reveal that the area affected by the bone bruise has improved significantly, while the previously identified meniscus tear appears more pronounced in this most recent scan,” said Sixers Chief Medical Director Dr. Jonathan Glashow in a statement released by the team. “We will continue to work with leading specialists to gather additional information through clinical examination and sequential testing to determine the best course of action and next steps.”
Embiid was a revelation on the court after sitting out the first two seasons of his NBA career, averaging 20.2 points and 7.8 minutes in limited minutes and had an incredible 24.2 PER, which is otherworldly for a rookie.
With Embiid’s past issues and the confusion surrounding the severity of his current issue, coupled with the 76ers basically out of realistic playoff contention and No. 1 pick Ben Simmons ruled out for the season as well, there was little purpose in playing Embiid these last five weeks or so and the return was nowhere near worth the risk.
The real question now is whether 31 games is enough to win an NBA Rookie of the Year award? With the very weak class of competitors this season and the glimpse into how franchise altering Embiid can be in his limited time, I say a resounding yes.
