Over the past two days, Philadelphia 76ers fans have been anxiously expecting word regarding Joel Embiid and his latest setback.
Despite missing many games due to knee irritation that he has been suffering with for the previous month, the big man suffered another setback on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors.
Warriors veteran Jonathan Kuminga dove for a loose ball late in the game. The seven-time All-Star player for the Sixers remained on the ground after he struck Embiid’s knee, obviously hurt.
Embiid was out for the rest of the game even though he was able to get up off the ground and return to the locker room on his own.
Nick Nurse talks about Joel Embiid’s return
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse stated after Tuesday’s defeat by the Warriors that Embiid was struggling with an ailment unrelated to the one that kept him out of two straight games before making a comeback against the Warriors.
Following the game on Tuesday, Embiid had an MRI, and on Wednesday, he had more testing. A team spokesperson said the results showed a lateral meniscus damage. There isn’t yet a deadline established.
The Sixers don’t appear to be concerned that they will be without the All-Star big man for the duration of the 2023–2024 NBA season, based on Nick Nurse’s initial response. Nick said according to 97.5 The Fanatic ,
“He did say he’ll be back,” “He’ll be back and ready to go. When that is, we don’t know, but we’ll be looking forward to that, and we’ll help him get there.”
“He did say he’ll be back, he’ll be back and ready to go. When that is we don’t know, but we’ll be looking forward to that and we’ll help him get there.”
-Nick Nurse to Tom McGinnis pregame on Joel Embiid’s injury
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) February 2, 2024
Embiid was not present for the Sixers’ Thursday night road game against the Utah Jazz. When the Sixers play the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, he will undoubtedly stay off the court. Beyond that, the exact timeframe of Embiid is still unknown. As of Thursday night, a treatment plan is still being established, according to a team representative.
Although the nurse is hopeful that Embiid will make a comeback, there are still some unsolved questions at this point.
