Joel Embiid had foot surgery just days before the NBA draft and it was of course expected to cause him to drop in the draft. But have no fear, the Philadelphia 76ers are here. They took Embiid with the third overall pick and now they’re announcing Embiid will be out longer than expected.
“Timeframe — I’ve seen reported some 4 to 6 months — that’s not the number that I’ve heard,” Hinkie said. “The number that I’ve heard from the surgeon himself was 5 to 8 months.”
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“Guess what our approach will be? We will focus on the long-term health of the player,” Hinkie said. “We’ve had this discussion before. … It is all that matters, the long-term health of the player. Will we be smart about that? Of course. Will we be thoughtful about that? I hope so. Will we be patient? Yes. We will give him every chance to be as healthy as he can be.”
There’s no surprise here. The 76ers are the same team that traded for Nerlens Noel on draft night despite knowing about his ACL injury and sat him for the entire season. Noel by the way says he was able to play at some point but the Sixers kept him on the sideline as they continued to tank. Will there be a repeat this year? Who knows just continue to watch the train wreck that is the 76ers.
