With the season quickly slipping away from the Philadelphia 76ers, it appears that some fingers are being pointed at star center Joel Embiid.
In an appearance Wednesday on “NBA Today,” Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Embiid and the 76ers are expected to sit down at some point and have a conversation about his health. Charania adds there have been some “frustrations” within the organization about the former NBA MVP Embiid’s lack of availability this season.
The seven-footer Embiid, who turns 31 in March, has struggled with injuries for most of his NBA career and was limited to just 39 games last season due to a meniscus injury in his left knee. This season, Embiid’s health has been even worse as he has appeared in a mere 13 of 42 games for the 76ers. Both continued issues with his left knee as well as other unrelated injuries have factored into his extended time missed this year. As it stands right now, Embiid has not played in a game since Jan. 4, and there seems to be no telling when he might be back on the floor this time around.
Of course, the 76ers’ woes go far deeper then just Embiid. Other important players have been hit by the injury bug, depth is a major concern, and Paul George has looked more like John Ringo ever since Philly signed him to a four-year max contract over the offseason. But as has been the case for a while now, the 76ers tend to go as far as Embiid takes them, so it makes sense that he is getting a lot of the blame for their awful 15-27 season.
