By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly Staff 
A report from Marc Stein of ESPN says that Sixers' star center Joel Embiid will have to undergo offseason knee surgery:
Knee surgery for Sixers center Joel Embiid is "very likely," according to league sources. Story on the way momentarily
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 22, 2017
On March 1, the Sixers announced Joel Embiid would miss the rest of the season with a bone bruise and small meniscus tear.
The origin of the injury has been speculated. Tom Moore of Calkins Media reportes that Embiid's injury occured during a January 20 game against the Portland Trail Blazers:
#NBA source: Joel's Embiid's knee injury did occur in Jan. 20 home game vs Blazers and not during January practice. #Sixers
— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) March 22, 2017
"The Process" finished his long-awaited rookie season with averages of 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.5 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game across 31 games played.
Throughout the struggles that have surrounded Embiid, he has remained upbeat and maintained a positive attitude as he prepares to experience another setback:
Be back soon…. The process has to be postponed for this minor setback #GOD #TheProcess pic.twitter.com/dBq7uW7zkR
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 3, 2017
It is worth mentioning that Embiid's teammate Jahlil Okafor underwent meniscus surgery last year, and has been sidelined with soreness in the inflicted knee multiple times throughout the season.
Rehabilition for a meniscus repair is generally three-to-six months, while a menisectomy requires four-to-six weeks of rehabilitation, according to WebMD.
The Sixers are said to be exploring all options, and it is unclear at this time what kind of procedure Embiid will undergo.
