Sixers
Report: Joel Embiid to Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery on Left Knee
Published02 Apr 2025
After over a month of deliberation, the Philadelphia 76ers finally made a decision about the next steps regarding Joel Embiid’s left knee. Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee next week, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. He will be re-evaluated six weeks after the surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
Embiid will be re-evaluated in six weeks after surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, sources said. It will mark Embiid’s second surgery on the left knee over the last 14 months. https://t.co/fv9Sgiojr0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2025
Embiid labored through left knee issues throughout the season, playing in just 19 games. His production when he was on the floor drastically fell to 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest. The Sixers proceeded to make the decision in late February to shut Embiid down for the remainder of the season.
The Sixers spent the next several weeks deliberating about what path they wanted to take with Embiid. Their decision, an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee, is far different than some of the rumored experimental surgeries that were being tossed around in the media.
The phrase “expected to make a full recovery” included in Charania’s reporting can be a bit misleading. An arthroscopic procedure, which is typically minimally invasive, is not likely to solve the underlying issues with Embiid’s left knee. Instead, it seems like the type of smaller move that would come with the goal of reducing swelling and trying to get Embiid back on the court on any sort of consistent basis. There is a chance this type of procedure can help improve things in the short term. However, the long-term outlook for Embiid remains bleak.
The fate of the Sixers’ short-term future rests largely on getting Embiid back to as close to 100% as possible. For now, the Sixers will continue to take the safer approach with Embiid in the hopes he can eventually turn things around physically and get back to the level of play he is accustomed to.
