There are a slew of worthwhile things to talk of when it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers despite what has been an incredibly gloomy campaign, but we cannot simply gloss over the elephant in the room that needs addressing in the offseason — the injury situation surrounding Joel Embiid.
The 76ers may have seen some huge silver linings even at this point in the season, and the upcoming draft could very well arm the franchise with a huge talking point for both the present and future, but the indubitable facts remains that this team will go as far as Embiid can take them — but that is also conditioned on how he will move himself.
At this point, his availability for the club moving forward remains a huge question mark. There really exists no clear fix for what his situation has turned out to be, and it is more sensible to anticipate him settling into a smaller role if ever he manages to run in an acceptable bill of health.
Having said that, if the latest reports are any indication, the 76ers may not yet have a hopeless case when it comes to their superstar.
76ers get a glimpse of hope after latest Joel Embiid report
The Ringer’s Howard Beck recently bared that Embiid’s injury situation may not be as drastic as many make it out to be. According to him, there is no belief that Embiid’s knee ailments could be anything close to career-ending, making it known that the 76ers are under the belief that the superstar primarily needs rest above all else.
After the 76er announced that Embiid was being shut down for the season, there has been a slew of overblown takes about what could be in moving forward for both camps, going as far as contemplating stuff such as medical retirement for the 2023 Most Valuable Player.
But apparently, that is now even remotely close to the believed pathway for Embiid. Philly still has not laid out a concrete plan for his recovery from his recurring knee ailments, but unlike many have been saying, this is far from a black-and-white, all-or-nothing landscape.
The 76ers may have had a terrible season with an admittedly bleak future to boot, but there is still a ton of material to work with for the franchise to turn things around as soon as next season. Obviously, getting Joel Embiid right would be the biggest catalyst to that end.
Still, it’s encouraging to see the situation around Joel Embiid get doused with a jolt of sense and reason after getting blown out of proportion. Hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers get to map out a sustainable program for him moving forward.