There has been an utter shortage of good things to say about the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Undeniably the most disappointing storyline in the NBA this season, many are already penciling them in as a surefire lottery when the season ends — a painful culmination for a franchise that had already went all-in for this season and the next four to five years.
To make matters worse, the injury bug has continued its annual excursion in Philly this season. The 76ers already have some of the most injury-prone stars in the league, and somehow, they have managed to outdo themselves by routinely missing games on a near nightly basis, drastically reducing the team’s prospects.
Of course, topping the list for the 76ers on the injury front is superstar center Joel Embiid. He has already missed 28 games this season, and is extremely likely to continue missing a lot more games at this rate. In fact, he has already suffered another setback in his return to play — one that should seriously concern fans.
76ers fans should prepare for the worst with Joel Embiid this season
In the middle of the team’s losing streak, Embiid was marked as day-to-day with his injury. However, there has been some brewing frustration among fans given that the coaching staff continued to label him as such when had already missed consecutive games.
The truth finally came out just recently when it was reported that the All-Star suffered some swelling in his left knee after a practice session, potentially sidelining him for more than a week. But as many already know, this is too generous of a timeline for the big man.
With the 76ers not having much to play for anyway, it could be in their best interest to just shut him down for the year. Despite the NBA’s harsher stance against injury and load management, Embiid is technically injured and far from 100 percent, giving the team ample leeway to make that definitive choice.
What does this say about his and the team’s long-term outlook? Well, that remains a familiar, yet daunting quagmire to resolve, but speaking about this season alone, forcing the issue with Embiid could simply backfire. He is pretty fragile and already on the wrong side of 30. The sensible road to take is to double down on their already bold precaution with him.
The Philadelphia 76ers badly need to stop the bleeding, but they have absolutely no reason to force Joel Embiid to be part of that short-term solution, especially given his injury.