During the Philadelphia 76ers’ 135-127 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported that Sixers star Joel Embiid believes he needs another surgery on his left knee.
“I asked Joel Embiid how that left knee feels, and he gave a really long pause and just said, ‘It is what it is,'” Salters said. According to Salters, Embiid said that the ongoing management of pain and swelling from last February’s procedure to address a meniscus injury has been “frustrating and the most difficult thing he’s ever had to go through in his career.”
Embiid “wishes he could play in every game,” Salters said, “but his body just isn’t allowing him to do that right now, that when the knee swells up there’s nothing he can really do about it.”
Salters then cited comments team president Daryl Morey made last Friday. At a press conference in Philadelphia following the trade deadline, Morey said, “We do think there will be a place in the future where the symptoms and that are reduced or go to zero.” Salters said that Embiid “believes that will be the case, but he thinks it will likely take another surgery and another recovery period, something he didn’t have after the initial injury last February.”
Postgame, Embiid clarified his comments. He did not exactly deny that he anticipates having another surgery at some point, but he was less definitive about it.
“I think the straightforward answer is that when you’ve got something that’s inconsistent, at some point, you’ve got to do something about it,” Embiid told reporters, via the Associated Press’ Steve Megargee. “We don’t know what it is. We’re looking into every option.”
Embiid has appeared in only 16 games this season, and that is the biggest reason for the Sixers’ disappointing 20-32 record. He was recently sidelined for about a month; initially, he was dealing with a sprained left foot, but, when ramping up for a return from that injury, Philadelphia announced that he had “experienced an increase in swelling in his left knee.” According to Morey, his recovery from last February’s surgery has been “slower than anyone’s anticipated,” so Embiid has to sit out when pain or swelling pops up.
“Every day, take it day by day,” Embiid told reporters. “If it gets worse, then you’ve got to do something about it. If it’s not consistent enough, then that’s not good enough.”
Last season, Embiid returned to the lineup in April and helped the Sixers qualify for the playoffs. Philadelphia was eliminated in the first round against the Knicks in early May, but he was back on the court in July with Team USA.
“At some point I probably need to just, especially when the summer comes around, these few months to just recover fully,” Embiid told reporters. “Like I said, don’t know what it is, but if that keeps being the same pattern, then obviously you’ve got to try something else.”
Per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, Embiid added: “No one knew it was going to be like this. After the surgery, I didn’t have enough time. I came back for the playoffs. And then after the Olympics, then right back to the regular season.”
The Inquirer reported that Embiid does not need another surgery at the moment, citing a team source. According to the source, the Sixers have consulted more than half a dozen doctors about managing his symptoms, and they will look at other options if it gets to a point at which Embiid’s symptoms are not manageable.
Last Friday, Morey said that they’d talked to “seven, eight, nine, 10 at this point of the top people in the world” about Embiid’s knee, and they all agree that it will improve over time. Morey did not, however, imply that it might require another surgery.
With the exception of a rough first half against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, Embiid has looked more like his All-NBA self in his three most recent games than he has at any other point in the season. He had a 29-point triple-double in his return last Tuesday, and he had 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in Milwaukee. Until he is able to stay on the court for more than a month without incident, though, there will be questions about how sustainable this is. And now that the possibility of another surgery is part of the conversation, those questions will be louder.
“I feel good,” Embiid told reporters. “I’m just managing it. You know, I just got to keep going, get the team together.”
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