76ers' Joel Embiid's Torn Meniscus Injury Has NBA Fans Devastated

The NBA scriptwriters have gone back to a familiar storyline, giving Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid another lower-body injury that will cost him playing time and potentially hamper him for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs.

Jokes aside, multiple reports noted on Thursday that the defending MVP was dealing with a meniscus injury and would be out through the weekend while the team formulated a treatment plan.

It's a bummer on a number of fronts.

For one, Embiid is one of the game's best players and the possibility of him missing significant time—or not being full strength for the playoffs, a recurring theme in his career—is disappointing. He's the NBA's leading scorer this season (35.3 PPG) to go along with 11.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest.

It also likely means he won't qualify for the MVP this season, since the NBA put a 65-game threshold on the award.

And if nothing else, the 29-17 Sixers have been one of the more fun NBA teams this season when Embiid has been healthy. Without him—or with him at less than 100 percent—they are a far less effective team.

Add it all up, and fans and pundits alike were bummed out on Thursday:

Embiid, 29, just can't seem to stay healthy. His injury history is extensive. During his time in Philadelphia, a few constants have emerged:

One, he's dominant when he's on the court.. Two, he struggles to stay on the court due to the aforementioned injury concerns.

Three, the team has struggled to find a championship-worthy core behind him, rotating through a supporting cast that has included Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, among others.

Four, the Sixers can't get past the second round of the playoffs. And five, a general sense of weirdness just seems to permeate around this team. Look no further than Maxey being awarded his first All-Star Game appearance (great vibes for the Sixers!) on the same evening that Embiid's injury status was announced (the worst vibes!).

The hope will be that the injury isn't that serious and some rest and rehabilitation will have him back to 100 percent. But we've read this script before, and it normally ends with a somewhat hobbled Embiid getting eliminated from the postseason in the second round.