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Joel Embiid has knee surgery, with a recovery timeline taking shape

The Sixers’ news release did not specify the type of procedure performed, which could affect how long he is out.

Joel Embiid had surgery on Tuesday. He will be reevaluated in about a month.
Joel Embiid had surgery on Tuesday. He will be reevaluated in about a month.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
    by Gina Mizell
    Updated 
    Published 

Joel Embiid underwent successful surgery Tuesday morning to “address” the lateral meniscus injury in his left knee and will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks, the 76ers announced.

That timetable puts Embiid’s reevaluation in early March, about one month before the end of the regular season. The Sixers’ news release did not specify the type of procedure performed, which could include removing a piece of the meniscus or doing a full repair. The recovery timeline is shorter for the first procedure, though the long-term outlook is generally better for the second option.

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An MRI last week — after the Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga fell on Embiid’s knee late in a Jan. 30 loss in San Francisco — revealed the meniscus injury, the team said. Before then, however, that knee had been bothering Embiid.

He missed three games in January with swelling, then two more after aggravating it during a Jan. 25 loss at the Indiana Pacers. That included becoming a late scratch in a high-profile Jan. 27 matchup against the defending-champion Denver Nuggets and MVP counterpart Nikola Jokić, which prompted an NBA investigation and fine because Embiid was not listed on the injury report throughout the day. And even before the collision with Kuminga, Embiid struggled to move and elevate during the loss to the Warriors.

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Prior to this setback, Embiid was in the midst of a historic regular season. The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player was leading the league (and setting a career high) in scoring at 35.3 points per game, to go along with 11.3 rebounds, a career-best 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks.

The Sixers are 4-11 without Embiid this season, including Monday’s 118-102 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks. They have lost six of their past seven games to slip to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings at 30-19.

The NBA’s trade deadline — a potential way to bolster the roster while Embiid is out — is Thursday afternoon.

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