Joel Embiid Shut Down Amid Injury Concerns

The curious case of Joel Embiid has finally come to a close…at least for the remainder of this year.

Reports coming out of Philadelphia Friday afternoon indicate that Embiid will be shut down — thus ending what’s been a very tumultuous year for both himself and the franchise as a whole.

Embiid had been dealing with knee issues even before the year started. There were concerns about his weight and conditioning to the point where load management essentially began right when the regular season started. For a franchise player about to turn 31 years of age, these were troubling signs, to say the least.

The 76ers as a whole have been a mess all year long. As we turn the page to March, Philadelphia currently sits at 20-38 — 2.5 games behind Chicago for the final play-in spot. It’s a far cry from the squad many projected to compete for an NBA Championship heading into the year. Along with Embiid’s injury issues, Paul George has been a massive disappointment in the wake of signing a multi-year deal this past offseason.

Embiid has played in only 19 of a possible 58 games this year. He’s averaging 23.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG — the lowest marks he’s had since the 2017-18 season. There’s palpable anxiety around his status moving forward. Embiid just signed a 3-year extension worth more than $192 million. He won’t be a free agent until the 2029-30 season by which he’ll be 35 years old. Embiid has a player option in 2028-29 for a whopping $69 million. Based on the cropping up of knee injuries, it’s highly unlikely he’d forego cashing in on that deal.

With a perpetually-injured Embiid, a diminishing George, and a lack of first-round picks moving forward into the near future, there’s a real question as to what direction this franchise is headed in.