Report: Joel Embiid expected to have surgery on torn meniscus

Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor  

The Philadelphia 76ers went from having too many centers to not enough. With Nerlens Noel in Dallas and Joel Embiid sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Sixers have been counting on Jahlil Okafor, who's missed games with knee problems, Richaun Holmes, and even Dario Saric at points. 

Embiid, 23, only played in 31 games this season, but showed amazing potential despite his injury history. On March 1, the Sixers announced Joel Embiid would miss the rest of the season with a bone bruise and small meniscus tear. According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 7-foot-2 native of Cameroon is expected to have surgery after meeting with doctors in Los Angeles during the teams' trip out west. Philadelphia plays the Clippers on Saturday and Lakers on Sunday.

"We are trying to study his path and go about it meticulously," coach Brett Brown said, "and really sort of help create an environment while he is with us where he's a part of the team."

The Sixers announced on March 1 that Embiid would miss the rest of the season due to the injury. He is expected to have surgery.

Embiid is meeting with the doctors to talk about the best next step.

"It's all on the table, trying to do homework," Brown said. "There's nothing like to me [that is] news in what I just said. We are just feeling it all [out].

Pompey goes on to mention that there are three types of surgeries for a torn meniscus. A partial meniscectomy is the most common. That involves the removal of the torn piece of the meniscus. A meniscal repair is the second type of surgery. That one fixes the damage and helps to prevent deterioration. It's a more complex surgery and has a longer recovery time. It's not always an option. The tear has to be in an area that has blood supply.

Jahlil Okafor had surgery to repair a small meniscus tear at the end of the 2015-16 season, and is still dealing with soreness over a year after the injury. 

Embiid finished his shortened rookie campaign with 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. While his knee injuries aren't anything to be overly concerned about, Joel has dealt with numerous injury issues dating back to his days at Kansas. 

Hopefully these knee injuries will be the last he has to deal with for a while, otherwise, his injury-prone nature may force the Sixers into an interesting situation with Embiid's final year of his rookie contract approaching.