Hoops Habit
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid Foot Surgery Scheduled For Tuesday

By Jake Hyman

Apr 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dunks during warm ups before playing against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dunks during warm ups before playing against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Joel Embiid is going to miss the 2015-16 season for the Philadelphia 76ers after all. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears, Embiid will have surgery similar to Kevin Durant‘s to repair a broken right foot:

Embiid, and the news surrounding the now 7’2″ Cameroonian big man, has dominated storylines in the offseason. Before the 2015 NBA Draft, Embiid underwent a CT scan revealing that his healing process took longer than anticipated.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: The NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time

Media twisted his setback into a smokescreen so teams wouldn’t get a proper gauge on the Sixers plans heading into the draft. Inevitably, Embiid’s report turned out to be true, unlike other mid-June assumptions, and the team tripled at the center position by drafting Jahlil Okafor for assurance.

Per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, GM Sam Hinkie put the kibosh on Embiid suiting up for next season:

"“A collective decision has been made that the best approach to promote full healing would be to proceed with a bone graft of the fracture site,” general manager Sam Hinkie said in a statement. “We anticipate the procedure will take place in the next seven to 10 days and result in Joel missing the upcoming season.”"

This is an unprecedented route the Sixers are taking with Embiid. It might be the only time in the modern era of the NBA that a player missed his first two seasons due to injury. Double down the fact that Embiid was a pivotal piece in Philadelphia rebuilding process as the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and questions arise, and have previously, if he was the right selection.

This scenario oddly fits a portion of the Sixers mantra in a sense that Philadelphia is still rebuilding. They have time to play out Embiid’s early surgical history and wait for his inevitable return to the court. It’s been heavily documented what Embiid brings to the organization. A two-way transcendent interior presence, the reward is warranted if you can bide out the risk.

The Sixers might be without Embiid for another season, but their ascendent climb back to dominance hinges on the big man eventually seeing the court.

More from Hoops Habit