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Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid’s surgery went well, the clock starts now

By Bret Stuter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 28: Joel Embiid
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 28: Joel Embiid /
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The good news for Philadelphia 76ers fans is that Joel Embiid‘s surgery is history and went well. The clock to his return starts now

The history of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is such that when he is on the basketball court, he dominates both ends of the court. But his willingness to play hard creates openings for mishaps. Or so says the numerous detractors who love to troll the young man. “He can’t stay healthy” detractors now claim “Some players are just injury prone”. Joel Embiid is neither.

What he is is a tall game-changing NBA center who fell to injury due to a freak accident. And as we discussed before, his timeline for recovery starts with his surgery. That surgery happened today, March 31, 2018.

Now the team can start the clock on Joel Embiid’s recovery. But keep in mind that there are several factors which will play a huge part to that timeline.

Post surgery recovery

The idea that every surgery is the same recovery time is unrealistic. While doctors diagnosed and repaired Embiid’s injury rather quickly, Joel Embiid is not superhuman. He is a patient, and patients respond to the healing process at differing rates. And the surgeon, as gifted as he can be, can only repair so much. From that point on, it’s up to the recovery of Joel Embiid himself.

So what is that recovery? Will it be a full recovery, or just duct taping Embiid together long enough to get some postseason experience under his belt?

Restoring bone strength

The key to the recovery rests in two general areas: healing of injury site, and vision recovery. Let’s examine bone healing first. With the eye socket, the bone is relatively small and the blood supply is superb.  Following the surgery, the bone strength is usually restored from 10 to 24 days post surgery. The variable in the healing times depends upon the materials used. With the Philadelphia 76ers footing the bill, look for the healing time to gravitate to the lower side.

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    • Ah, but there is the other part of the healing to consider – vision.  For now, there is no way to assess the impact of the injury to how Joel Embiid will see when the eye patch comes off.  If there is any vision issue, it could take some additional time to recover. But let’s presume that Embiid will not suffer any dramatic vision loss, or impact.

    When is he coming back?

    Well, the regular season for the Philadelphia 76ers ends on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. Many teams would be tempted to sit all their stars if there is no seeding at stake for that game. But don’t count on that with Philly. If Embiid is medically cleared, you can bet he’ll see some playing time in that game. That’s not to say that minutes won’t be restricted, they will. And he will play with goggles or face shield.

    But the more likely scenario is that Embiid will miss the first playoff game at a minimum.  If the 76ers get the 4-seed, the team could welcome Embiid back to the line-up on or before game 4 of the series. That would mean the 76ers should see Embiid in at least one or more  playoff game in the worst case scenario.  In the playoffs, an Embiid return would be a huge boost to this team.

    Many reasons to want Embiid back

    With this first-time appearance, that boost will be sorely needed. Should the Philadelphia 76ers win both home games, then Embiid’s presence will be more along the “he should be here to enjoy this” genre. But if the Sixers split at home, then the opening series could very likely go the full seven games.  In that situation, it will be the fire of Embiid which will bolster the team.  In truly Philadelphia-Rocky Balboa fashion,  the team will fight the good fight.  Win or lose, the team walks away the true winner from this season.

    Next: Why the Philadelphia 76ers should draft Jalen Brunson

    The team will end this season battle-tested by the NBA Playoffs, emerging from a near-50-win-season, and will have set the stage for the young players to reach incredible ceilings. That 2018-2019 season already looks like an NBA Championship run for this team. And after this season, I cannot see any free agent of any level believing they are too good for the Philadelphia 76ers now. The point of no return is long gone. This Philadelphia 76ers team is far better than anyone expected. When Joel Embiid returns, they are better still.