Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
This year, the Philadelphia 76ers will try once again to accomplish something they’ve yet to do in twenty years. While going to the Finals would be great, it’s actually been two decades since the Sixers even advanced to past the second round of the NBA playoffs. Since then, the Eastern Conference Semis have been something of a cement ceiling for Philadelphia; no matter how talented the roster is, the squad somehow always comes up short.
There’s no singular reason for the team’s striking absence of a deep run. Sometimes it was internal, like Embiid’s myriad playoff injuries. Other times it was external, like when the basketball gods blessed Kawhi Leonard’s ridiculous buzzer beater in 2019. But no matter the cause, the hurt has been the same.
Embiid opened up on this checkered past with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps recently, with the former Jayhawk expressing serious dissatisfaction with the way Philadelphia’s seasons have come to a close.
“The whole notion of getting to the first round, second round, conference finals, Finals, that don’t matter,” Embiid said. “If you don’t win it all, it doesn’t matter why you lost. It probably makes it even worse … you feel like you just frickin’ wasted time.
“‘Congrats, you made it to the conference finals. Congrats, you made it to the Finals.’ Did you win anything? Nope.”
If the Sixers are going to break their playoff curse, they’ll need their superstar big man leading the way. Unfortunately, he’s looked far from his near-MVP self of late. On Friday, fans got a little insight as to why that might be the case.
Doc Rivers Reveals Joel Embiid Foot Surgery
On Friday, head coach Doc Rivers revealed that Embiid suffered from plantar fasciitis this summer, which disrupted the player’s offseason workout regimen. Plantar fasciitis is a common heel injury that is usually cured through rest (though surgery can be required in more serious circumstances).
Doc Rivers said Joel Embiid had plantar fasciitis this offseason, which has contributed to his conditioning not being at its best early in the year.
Rivers said Embiid isn’t bothered by that now, that he expects him to get into better shape and a better rhythm.
Plantar fasciitis wasn’t the injury Embiid struggled through over the summer. Earlier in the offseason, Embiid underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament on his shooting hand and non-dominant index finger.
Those hand injuries are scary for one primary purpose: Embiid needs both hands to block shots, and any impact on his shooting hand could throw off his timing on lay-ups and dribbles. But Sixers fans have an additional reason to be worried about any foot injury related to Embiid.
Embiid’s Long Line of Foot Injuries
The plantar fasciitis isn’t the first foot-related injury that Embiid has struggled through. In 2014, the then-Kansas Jayhawk suffered a foot fracture, which caused teams at the top of the draft to pass on the one-time lock for the No. 1 pick. After the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Andrew Wiggins and the Milwaukee Bucks took Jabari Parker, Embiid landed on the Philadelphia 76ers.
The foot fracture ended up derailing Embiid’s first two seasons in the league. His “rookie” season was already put on hold because of the injury suffered before the draft. But his second season was also cancelled after the foot failed to heal properly.
Since then, however, there have been no issues with Embiid’s feet. But the plantar fasciitis injury opens up a wound most Sixers fans believed had completely healed (no pun intended).
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Joel Embiid Breaks Silence on Sixers’ Atrocious Playoff History