NBA Rumors: The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid should get some clarity on their complicated situation soon.
To say it has been a rough season for the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid would be a massive understatement. The season is not even over yet, and it's pretty safe to assume that this is one campaign that the team and its fans will want to forget. Coming into this season with so much hope, there hasn't been much to celebrate if you're the Sixers. To make matters worse, this season may have just complicated their future even further.
Because of Embiid's "new" - if we can even label it as such - injury concerns, it has certainly thrown an unexpected wrench in the team's future. Embiid is on pace to play the fewest games in a season since the 2016-17 campaign. But what has to be even more infuriating is the fact there are no clear answers on how the team or Embiid is going to effectively deal with this specific injury. That's what has to be the biggest concern for the team heading into the offseason.
According to a recent report, there's hope that the team and Embiid are going to get some answers and clarity on a path forward sometime soon. But even that isn't likely to guarantee Embiid will be able to put this injury-plagued season behind him. Depending on what the course of action is moving forward, it's impossible to predict what lies ahead for this franchise. For the Sixers, it's not just about the decision to shut down Embiid for the remainder of the year or not. It's much bigger than that now.
The Philadelphia 76ers are built around Joel Embiid
The Sixers are not in a great situation with Embiid. What has to hurt the most is that this team and franchise are completely built around Embiid. This roster is made for Embiid, and the front office has operated with Embiid at the forefront of their decisions.
At least for now, there's no reason to believe that this new injury from Embiid is one that will threaten his career, but that has to be a concern on the table. It may not end Embiid's career, but it could completely change Embiid moving forward. And if that is indeed the case, you can't help but wonder how that may end up altering the immediate future for the Sixers.
I don't think it's outlandish to say that everything for this franchise is riding on Embiid's health. It's exactly what we've seen play out this season. The next few days could provide this team with some much-needed clarity. At the same time, there's no question they could use some hope too.