Joel Embiid sat out the beginning of the 2024-25 season regardless of enjoying within the 2024 Paris Olympics and never present process any offseason surgical procedures.
The mysterious flip of occasions led to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes questioning Embiid’s conditioning and dedication to the grind. Embiid would reply by partaking in a bodily altercation with the reporter, resulting in a suspension that additional derailed the 76ers.
On Sunday, Embiid performed a uncommon sport — his fifth of the season — because the Sixers pulled off a 108-100 win over the Bulls. After the win, Embiid opened up concerning the mysterious nature of his knee harm, confirming that he isn’t coping with any structural injury however fairly a swelling that his medical employees has been unable to diagnose.
“Miserable,” Embiid advised ESPN’s Tim Bontemps of his lack of ability to play constantly. “Simply making an attempt to determine it out. There isn’t any harm. Simply between the swelling … we have to get it found out. That is it. I have been saying it for the previous few months. It has been extraordinarily miserable. It is one thing that hasn’t been found out, and it has been extraordinarily annoying, as a result of I’d like to play each single sport.”
It needs to be famous that Clippers star Kawhi Leonard handled an analogous knee irritation throughout the 2024 playoffs, a difficulty that held him out of the Paris Olympics and the beginning of the 2024-25 season. Very like Embiid, Leonard’s docs confirmed that he wasn’t coping with structural injury at the same time as his knee swelled up repeatedly.
One can not help however sympathize with Embiid, who confronted extreme backlash for declaring his intention to not play in back-to-back video games this season. It is clear now that the 7-footer had a sound cause to make the feedback. After Sunday’s win, Embiid confirmed that he’d play each sport if not for his infected knee.
“I want I may have been enjoying from the start,” Embiid stated. “I’d like to play each single sport, each single minute, however typically your physique simply says, ‘No,’ and you’ll’t do nothing about it. All you are able to do is simply maintain working to repair it and get higher.”
Lots of Embiid’s critics made blanket statements with out really understanding the complexity of his knee situation. As Embiid himself confirmed, “there isn’t any harm” however a swelling regardless, leaving each himself and the Sixers medical employees bewildered by the scenario.
Maybe Embiid’s critics had been a bit too harsh.
