76ers’ Joel Embiid to miss rest of season

The 76ers announced Monday that Joel Embiid will be sidelined indefinitely due to his left knee injury. Embiid has not suited up since January 27 and has missed 17 of the Sixers’ last 18 games because of left knee injuries.

The Sixers drafted Embiid third overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.

He was averaging 20.2 points per game despite playing a limited 25.4 minutes per game, immediately a scoring threat even in his first year competing against National Basketball Association talent.

The Sixers have only 23 games remaining and are not in playoff contention, lessening the urgency of Embiid’s return this season. And while “the process” will have to once again wait a little longer, an intriguing question surrounds how the Sixers will handle Joel Embiid’s future with the team.

Prior to Wednesday, Embiid had been listed as day-to-day with a bruised knee and meniscus tear.

While the news is disappointing for Sixers fans, and certainly for Embiid, the season was lost anyway.

Embiid knocked down more than a three per game on a solid 36.7 percent clip, pushed the ball up the floor with solid vision for a big and was one of the NBA’s premier rim protectors. His knee swelled after he took part in a workout last week. We’ve got very good medical care, very good medical oversight. So far this season, Embiid’s per 36-minutes numbers are: 28.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.5 blocks.

Then Ben Simmons, looking like he could make an impact and turn around a floundering franchise, was also injured shortly after being drafted. He was forced to undergo a second surgery on his foot on August 18, 2015, which forced him to miss the entire 2015-16 season as well.

Embiid is with the Sixers in Miami. It might not officially be time yet to call it a season and see if it’s not too late to get excited about NCAA conference tournament play, but it’s getting there.