76ers' Joel Embiid to Miss Time with Knee Injury; Treatment Plan Being Finalized

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee in Tuesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors, the team announced Thursday.

It's unclear how long the injury will keep him out of the lineup.

The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania clarified that the 76ers had not officially confirmed Embiid tore his meniscus after he reported that was the case earlier Thursday.

Injuries are always a storyline with Embiid, and this season has been no different. Knee concerns had popped up throughout the season prior to the meniscus injury.

An underlying subplot to his health issues is the NBA's new rule stating players must play at least 65 games to be eligible to win awards such as MVP and make All-NBA teams. That means he could only miss 17 games if he was going to defend the MVP award he won during the 2022-23 campaign.

Embiid has once again been excellent when healthy.

He is averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks a night in 34 games while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from deep. Those are MVP-type numbers, making the 65-game rule all the more notable in his case.

Philadelphia also needs him healthy and playing his best basketball come playoff time if it is going to compete with the other top teams in the Eastern Conference.

For now, it can turn toward Paul Reed to play more minutes in the frontcourt while Embiid is sidelined.