The Philadelphia 76ers have officially closed the curtain on Joel Embiid for their NBA 2024-25 season. This ruling, in effect, leaves a question mark concerning the former MVP’s long-standing future in the league. Scraped with knee injuries in the last recent years, Embiid played just 19 games this season, leaving the Sixers with a question mark for what lies ahead.
Season Cut Short for Embiid
Having explored all of the avenues, the Sixers decided to resort to this last course of action with regard to shutting him down after conducting an evaluation for the best course of action for both team and player. The 30-year-old center had already been on limitations this season, getting to be out for the second game of back-to-backs, and had difficulty being on the floor all the time.
“It has been a rough season for Philadelphia,” Dane Arlauckas wrote in Finest Tweets. “They are nearing the bottom of the Eastern Conference after a horrible start to the season, and now their star is officially done for the year.”
Embiid clinching the playoffs for the Sixers now seems impossible as official documents affirm their concentrating efforts on the future.
Medical Retirement Possibility
Given that Embiid’s injury history would raise alarm on his fitness and availability, the Sixers may as well explore medical retirement as an option for their star center. Embiid signed before the season a three-year, $192.9 million extension, but the team could petition to nullify the contract if an independent doctor determines he is no longer fit to play.
According to NBA Insider Keith Smith, the procedure is the following: “If that situation were to present itself, it would be up to an independent doctor selected by the league and the NBAPA to study his injuries and the forecast of his health in the future. If the doctor rules that he is no longer fit to play, that would nullify his contract, which would be removed from the Sixers’ payroll.”
This still remains an option of last resort, which only shows how severe the injury concerns surrounding Embiid actually are and how much financially this might cause problems for the Sixers.
When Healthy, Embiid Makes Huge Difference
Under normal conditions, Embiid becomes one of the most dangerous athletes in basketball. So far this season, with only 19 games under his belt, he has averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Although these digits look good, they become pale in comparison when placed side-by-side with Embiid’s comparison with the past few seasons, where he almost frequently averaged over 30 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Now that Embiid is elevated to the stage of no real competition, the Sixers are left with an empty space in their lineup. Also, much speculation looms over how the former MVP will be able to come back despite being viewed as a future MVP again.
Future of the Sixers Without Embiid
The Sixers now face the outright reality of an erased season without Embiid. The fact is that they are not far from the bottom in the Eastern Conference, and without their star player, the playoffs are virtually out of reach.
The attention of the franchise is now fixed on the future and the prospect of Embiid recovering.
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