Joel Embiid is experiencing the best season of his career, thanks to his improved endurance. The 76ers center averages 33 minutes per game this season – the second largest part of his career – and has played in 31 of Philadelphia’s 38 games, with many of these absences, either due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Embiid faces a possible absence of two to three weeks with a deep bruise in his left knee, Shams Charania from The Athletic reported. An MRI on his knee showed no structural damage, meaning the ACL and meniscus are fine. Since many feared that he had sustained a serious injury, there is relief in the organization that it is not something worse, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The play took place on Friday in the third quarter of Philadelphia’s game against the Washington Wizards. Embiid went to a dunk and landed uncomfortably and his left knee apparently stretched out. He walked off the floor under his own power, but with a sensible slackness and did not return to the game.
Embiid is currently the most popular favorite to win the MVP award, and his 76ers occupy the number one spot in the Eastern Conference. However, both of these things can be jeopardized if Embiid misses more than three weeks. The 76ers have a 2-5 record in games that Embiid missed this season, a trend that has persisted throughout his career. There is no set amount of games any MVP candidate needs to play, but because LeBron James and Nikola Jokic hardly miss it, Embiid will have to return quickly if he wants to maintain his favorite status.
But more importantly, Philadelphia’s championship hope rests almost entirely on Embiid’s health. Their season could be functionally over if he were to miss a good portion of the season. This play was apparently just a case of bad luck, but given its history of injuries, any small adjustment is dangerous for Embiid.