Renowned doctor gives 76ers fans the Joel Embiid update they don’t want to hear

The downward spiral continues for the Philadelphia 76ers, which fell short once again on Wednesday night against the upstart Rockets. They are now 11 games under .500, owners of the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and in the entire association, and there is really no clear path for the team to start climbing the ladder anytime soon.

That Joel Embiid similarly boasts no clear timeline to a return does them no favors. The superstar is once again on his transitory strings of injury-related absence for load management, and at this point, it’s all but a foregone conclusion that this would be the status quo moving forward. Heck, even the 76ers went to great lengths to assure themselves he can still play prior to their extension agreement during the offseason.

Yet with every news bit about Embiid being sidelined, fans remain mystified about the actual extent of his injury. To be fair, Philadelphia’s brass have never really shed real light on his injuries. But thanks to some third party opinion, fans can perhaps get a better and more accurate perspective of what he is going through. However, it may not be what they want to hear.

Renowned doctor sheds light on 76ers star Joel Embiid

Brian Sutterer, a well-known doctor who routinely offers nearly realtime medical updates on injuries to the biggest names in sports, recently cast light on Joel Embiid. He noted that the 2023 MVP misses games not because of additional injuries, but cumulative pain in his knee as a result of previous injuries, primarily to his ligament and meniscus.

He added that the continual frustration around his availability stems from the lack of transparency from the 76ers and bloated expectations when in reality, he can no longer return to being 100 percent healthy.

Sutterer traced Embiid’s situation to his previous meniscus surgery back in 2017, which involved his surgeon having to remove a small part thereof. When he tore it again, the reports implied another menisectomy. He explained that the consequence of this is an impairment on his joints and affecting the ability of the meniscus to protect and absorb forces through the joint. This is clearly detrimental to Embiid, a physically imposing force playing a contact sport and going up and down the court constantly.

The reality is that Joel Embiid will probably necessitate a conservative approach in order to preserve his body for the long term. That means the Philadelphia 76ers will have no other choice than to do what fans are irked about — to sit him out here and there and whenever there is the slightest of bumps along the way.