Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been having another sensational season, but lately, he has been banged up.
He has already missed 12 of the 76ers’ 46 games, and after suffering a knee injury against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, he will reportedly miss their game on Thursday versus the Utah Jazz.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Embiid will receive further evaluation on his injured left knee back home in the meantime.
Sixers star Joel Embiid is out for Thursday’s game vs. Utah and will receive further evaluation on his left knee in the next 24 hours, team official tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 31, 2024
Embiid is expected to travel back to Philadelphia and not join team in Utah, per official.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 31, 2024
The superstar is leading the NBA in scoring with 35.3 points while also averaging 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocked shots a game, and until recently, he was perhaps the leading candidate for the MVP award.
He won last season’s MVP, but now, Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who won the award the previous two seasons, has emerged as the favorite for this season’s MVP.
The league has a new rule that players must appear in 65 games to be eligible for various individual honors in an attempt to curb load management, and this rule could single-handedly prevent Embiid from taking home another award this year.
Philly has a 29-17 record, and in the wake of Embiid’s health troubles, they have fallen from third to fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Obviously, it’s more important for him to be healthy once the playoffs start than it is for him to win any individual honors this season, and it’s something that he himself has publicly said is his goal.
The Sixers haven’t reached the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001, and ultimately, Embiid will be judged on how he does in the postseason and whether he wins an NBA championship.
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