It was being a brilliant season individually for Joel Embiid. Although his team, the Philadelphia 76ers, are in a discreet fifth place in the Eastern Conference, the Cameroonian center averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, which made him the favorite to retain his title as MVP it's from the season. However, his injury last Tuesday in a game against the Golden State Warriors changes everything. After considering a more conservative treatment, Embiid has decided to undergo surgery to undergo surgery to repair the lateral meniscus tear in his left knee; a circumstance that radically transforms the league, especially with regard to individual awards.
Just two weeks after scoring an all-time high 70 points, Embiid missed several games due to knee discomfort. When he reappeared against the Warriors, visibly shaken, forward Jonathan Kuminga fell to his knee and all the alarms went off. Later, medical examinations confirmed the worst omens.
Without Embiid, the 76ers are not only ruled out of the fight for the title, but could even see their presence in the tournaments in jeopardy. playoffs. Of the 14 games they have played without the center in the current season, they have only won four. Currently, Philadelphia is fifth with 30 wins and 18 losses. Although they are still far from the tenth place of the Atlanta Hawks (with a balance of 22-27 they close the last place to qualify through the play in), the Sixers are left with practically no offensive arguments beyond point guard Tyrese Maxey, who with 26.2 points per game has emerged as an outstanding second sword.
But above all, Embiid's injury changes the fierce fight for the season's most valuable player (MVP) award. A recent change in the regulations dictates that, to aspire to the award, it is necessary for a player to reach a minimum of 65 games played. Although there are still no fixed recovery periods, the Cameroonian remains, for the moment, in 34 games, leaving the way clear for the new favorites according to the weekly ranking prepared by the league. Once the news is confirmed, Serbian Nikola Jokić is the new favorite to lift what would be his third trophy, followed by Canadian point guard Gilgeous-Alexander, star of the season's revelation team: the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Beyond the present, the center's injury history is worrying, but also his future. Embiid will turn 30 in March and, since his arrival in the league, knee problems have been his main obstacle. After being selected by the Sixers with the third pick in the 2014 draft, Embiid took two years to debut after injuring his foot. In addition, he has already had meniscus problems in both knees, and in the case of the left one (just like now), he already had to have surgery in the 2016-17 season, in which he played 31 games.
Depending on the recovery process, which could range from a minimum of four months to a maximum of nine, it is possible that the player will not arrive in optimal condition for the Paris Olympics either. His figure, in fact, sparked quite a bit of controversy in the French country after his decision to discard the French team – he has a passport from France, Cameroon and the United States – in favor of the Americans to join the last dance of LeBron James, Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant in his search for gold.
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