Shams: 76ers' Joel Embiid Regularly Receives Injections to Play Through Knee Injury

Joel Embiid's knee issues have gotten to the point where he's been receiving injections in an attempt to get on the court.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers star has received "regular and frequent" injections in his knee throughout this season.

This information comes at a point when Embiid's status for the rest of the season is very much uncertain.

Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Monday that Embiid would continue to undergo imaging to determine the extent of damage in his knee and figure out next steps.

Nurse said the Sixers were "not at that point at all" when asked if Embiid was going to be shut down for the season.

"Just, again, we are playing and testing and trying to figure it out and go from there," Nurse added.

Per Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer, doctors have suggested different "radical" procedures Embiid could undergo.

The recovery timeline for some of the procedures could range from six months to a year, with no guarantee that Embiid wouldn't have at least some future issues.

Embiid acknowledged earlier this month he might need knee surgery.

"I think the straightforward answer is that when you've got something that's inconsistent, at some point, you've got to do something about it," Embiid said after a 135-127 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 9. "We don't know what it is. We're looking into every option."

Knee issues have been a problem for Embiid throughout his career, but particularly over the past 12 months when he suffered a meniscus injury that required surgery.

Embiid returned late in the 2023-24 season and played all six games in the 76ers' first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. He also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Games last summer.

This season, though, Embiid has only played in 19 of Philadelphia's 58 games thus far. He's averaging his fewest points per game (23.8) since 2017-18 and has the worst field-goal percentage (44.4) of his career.

The Sixers have the fourth-worst record in the Eastern Conference (20-38). Their current nine-game losing streak is tied for the franchise's longest streak since the 2015-16 season when they finished 10-72.