Embiid has missed two-thirds of the 2024-25 season, and when he has performed, the 2023 NBA MVP has appeared like a shell of himself. His scoring dropped from 34.7 factors to 23.8, rebounds from 11 to eight.2 per recreation, his taking pictures from 52.9 p.c to 44.4 p.c and his three-point proportion from 38.8 p.c to 29.9 p.c.
It is no shock that with out Embiid the group has struggled, however the Sixers’ report of 20-38 is worse than anybody would have imagined. Final season, Embiid underwent surgery on his left knee final Feb. 6, which stored him out till April. He performed in Philadelphia’s first-round loss to the New York Knicks, and once more for Staff USA on the Olympics, carrying a brace on his left knee.
He was nonetheless experiencing irritation and swelling within the knee nicely into this season, telling ESPN’s Lisa Salter that he’d probably want one other surgical procedure. The Sixers shut him down Feb. 22, and now they’re accepting that he is out for the season — and till his knee lastly will get higher.
However Embiid’s knee points have an effect on extra than simply the 2024-25 season. Philadelphia gave a four-year, $155M contract to Paul George, who turns 35 in Could, to be the lacking piece to get Philly to the Finals. They gave multiyear offers to veterans Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Their greatest summer time monetary dedication was to Embiid himself. Even whereas Embiid was rehabbing his knee, the Sixers signed him to a three-year contract extension price $193M. That does not kick in till the 2026-27 season, after Embiid earns $106.6M this season and subsequent.
Philadelphia is taking a look at paying Embiid a whopping $67.3M throughout a season when he’ll flip 35. That is for a participant who averaged 20 missed video games per season from age 23-28, however sat out over half of the Sixers’ video games final season and can miss three-quarters of them this 12 months.
With the season successfully misplaced, the 76ers had little alternative however to close Embiid down, and so they most likely ought to have pulled the plug earlier. However going ahead, the group has practically 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} invested in an injury-prone massive man and no assure he’ll ever be the identical participant once more.
The Sixers are sacrificing their ambitions for this season to protect their dwindling future hopes. Embiid might present actual progress in his seven months off. However the Sixers’ future stays very cloudy if and till he does.
