Report: Joel Embiid, Sixers eye alternatives as knee issues continue

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Joel Embiid’s continuing difficulties with his injured left knee have him and the Philadelphia 76ers ready to get further medical opinions about possible options, including surgery, ESPN reported Sunday night.

Embiid, the 2022-23 MVP and a seven-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion, is to have more tests on his knee, and the report, which cites unnamed sources, indicates that specialists will then be consulted.

Embiid has played in just 19 of the Sixers’ 56 games this season, and is averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the field, well below his career mark of 50.1.

In Saturday’s 105-103 loss to the visiting Brooklyn Nets, Embiid was limited to 31 minutes. He fell to the floor after losing the ball late in the third quarter, appeared slow to get back up, and was held out of the fourth quarter.

Coach Nick Nurse said after the team’s seventh consecutive defeat that he liked the way his players were going without Embiid, and that he “just wanted to let them roll with it.”

Embiid’s knee was swollen after the game, leaving him questionable for Monday night’s matchup with the visiting Chicago Bulls.

The center underwent surgery for a meniscus tear in the knee in February 2024 and played in only 39 games last season. Embiid has acknowledged that he might need extended rest for the injury to heal, but he has been trying to stay on the court.

The 76ers sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games out of the 10th spot, which represents the last berth in the play-in tournament to try to make the playoffs.

–Field Level Media