What looked like another remarkable MVP season for Joel Embiid has been interrupted, at least temporarily, by a knee injury he suffered on Tuesday.
He was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee, and he will miss at least a little bit of time while the team assesses the extent of his injury.
This injury will seriously jeopardize Embiid’s eligibility for any individual awards this season, but former NBA center and current ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins told Embiid to take his time in coming back for the sake of his health and longevity.
“Sometimes it’s okay to be selfish and take care of you,” Perkins said, via NBA on ESPN.
"Sometimes it's ok to be selfish and take care of you."@KendrickPerkins' message to Joel Embiid about his health. pic.twitter.com/M0k2oV6PZx
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 2, 2024
So far this season, Embiid has missed 13 games, and thanks to a new NBA rule that requires players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for individual honors, he could miss out on winning another MVP.
He was last season’s MVP after averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists a game, and he has upped those stats so far this year to 35.3 points, 11.3 boards, and 5.7 assists per game.
Without him, the Sixers have struggled, and they have fallen from third place to fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Ultimately, Embiid will be judged on what he does in the postseason, and thus far in his career, his postseason scoring numbers are well below his regular-season scoring figures.
On top of that, he hasn’t gotten Philly to the Eastern Conference Finals, and last spring, the team blew a 3-2 series lead to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.
If Philly is to win their first NBA championship since 1983, Embiid will need to be fully healthy come playoff time.
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