Joel Embiid Is Done For The Season

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that rookie center Joel Embiid will be out for the rest of the season due to lingering issues with his left knee.

The injury, which the Sixers have continued to describe as a “bone bruise,” first occurred on Jan. 20. Embiid sat out three games, played again on Jan. 27, and hasn’t seen the floor since. On Feb. 11, it was revealed that Embiid also had a slight meniscus tear in his left knee, but the team insisted that it was the bone bruise keeping him out.

The last update on Embiid’s condition came on Monday, when the Sixers announced that he would be out indefinitely due to swelling in his left knee. In today’s press release citing MRI results, the team revealed that although the bone bruise has improved, the meniscus tear has gotten worse:

This brings to an end the latest chapter in a long and frustrating saga. Ever since he first hurt his knee in January, the Sixers have provided very little information about Embiid’s condition and have repeatedly changed the timeline for his return. It was aggravating for fans who just wanted to know when or if Embiid would be back, and it was even aggravating for Embiid himself. 

Three years after being drafted, Embiid will finish his rookie season having played 31 games and 786 minutes. He averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in those minutes and often looked like a generational talent. By the end of this season, he will have missed 215 out of a possible 246 games to start his career.