Joel Embiid’s operation that keeps the Philadelphia 76ers in suspense

In the midst of a context that alarms the main figures of the NBA after his participation in the fight for MVP is in danger, being forced to play at least 65 games out of 82 in the regular season if they want to achieve it, the new rule left the top candidate for the award as a victim. It is that the Cameroonian Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers must go through the operating room as a result of a severe injury that will keep him from the courts as well as the chances of repeating the award.

The Sixers received one of the worst possible news: their top star suffered a injury to the lateral meniscus of his left knee and recovery will demand you”an extended period of time“, without estimating a return date, as confirmed by NBA specialists.

Given the importance that Embiid represents on his team, the franchise’s medical staff looked for a way for the player to have surgery once the season ended. However, it was considered that the best option would be to start this week with an effective recovery.

The serious injury suffered by the 213 centimeters tall Cameroonian occurred last Wednesday, in Philadelphia’s defeat against the Golden State Warriors by 119 to 107. During the last quarter, Jontahan Kuminga, in the attempt to keep possession of the ball, fell with all the weight of his body on Embiid’s knee. Immediately, the player requested medical assistance and set off alarms among fans.

After receiving the MVP award last season, all signs pointed to Embiid repeating the personal title in the current campaign. However, although there are minimal chances that the 76ers will have him again for the month of April, when the final phase of the regular season is played, in the coming days will be automatically disqualified from the race for the award.

Based on the new NBA collective agreement, the decision was made that anyone who wishes to be considered for the MVP, You can only miss a maximum of 17 games throughout the season.

In this way, due to certain muscle discomfort that has been harming him since the beginning of the league, Embiid was absent in 12 games of the 37 played until the moment of the injury. Consequently, It is inevitable that the star of the league will watch more than five of his team’s duels from the stands and exceed the maximum number of absences allowed during your recovery phase.

Beyond the importance that the injury represents for Embiid himself, who also It creates a headache for the Sixers and their fans. The thing is that the team is not going through the best moment to face the rest of the season without him: they are in the fifth position in the Eastern conferencewith a history of 30-18and his performance decreases noticeably without the presence of his pivot.

This was demonstrated last weekend, in the first game after Embiid’s injury: defeat against the Nets by a score of 136 to 121 at home.

Adding the NBA Cup games, in the 33 games that the center was present, 26 ended in victory in favor of Philadelphia. While In the 13 where he did not participate, the 76ers only won three times.

Despite not having participated in several games, the difference in hierarchy that the Cameroonian giant brought to his team is reflected in the statistics: during the season he averaged 36 points and 56.5% effective shooting, along with 11.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Even just a couple of weeks ago, he managed to score no less than 70 points in the same game.

In this way, if the Sixers aspire to qualify for the play-offs, they will have to find a way to turn the page on their star’s injury to once and for all find the formula that will allow them to improve their performance with him off the court. .

“I try to be the best in the league“said Embiid prior to his injury. Now, faced with his imminent loss of the award that positioned him as the top candidate, other players are the ones who are beginning to get excited about giving the blow in the MVP. At the same time, they will try to miss as few games as possible so as not to suffer the same fate as the Philadelphia pivot.