Joel Embiid’s injuries aren’t just causing him to miss games; now, there is internal strife between the team front office and their star player.
On ESPN’s “NBA Today” show on Thursday, insider Shams Charania said that there is “tension” surrounding Embiid and the team regarding the handling of his knee injury — for which he underwent season-ending surgery earlier this week.
“There was some tension there between Joel Embiid and that front office, from my understanding,” Charania said. “The team believed he needed to play at some points of the season, that he needed to get his conditioning right through playing and getting better that way. He felt like he needed surgery. He ends up getting the surgery.”
Embiid’s orthoscopic knee surgery ends his season at just 19 games, in which he averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from the field.
Injuries are nothing new to the star center as the 31-year-old has broken the 65-game barrier just twice in his NBA career.
Philadelphia came into the season with championship aspirations, having acquired star wing Paul George to go along with Tyrese Maxey and Embiid.
The results have been disastrous, though. George has played in just 41 games this season.
The 76ers were one of the first teams eliminated from playoff contention, and mounting injury problems — especially with Embiid — are serious offseason issues to address.
Embiid’s next contract, a $193 million extension signed in September, begins after next season and goes through the 2028-29 season, will take him into his 34th birthday, and big questions about his ability to fulfill it are gaining validity.
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