While addressing Joel Embiid’s recent meniscus injury, ESPN Analyst Kendrick Perkins advised the Philadelphia 76ers to shut him down for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. On Tuesday, NBA’s reigning MVP and leading scorer Joel Embiid underwent a successful surgery to ameliorate a lateral meniscus in his left knee. The 76ers confirmed the successful nature of the surgery but didn’t disclose a return window for the veteran center. As per the team, he will be re-evaluated in four weeks from now.
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During a recent edition of ESPN’s First Take, Kendrick Perkins declared that instead of going for a re-evaluation, the 76ers should sit Embiid out for the season because their Championship aspirations have already been quashed. So they might as well not risk another major injury for their superstar. Perk alluded to the heavy workload of the 76ers’ leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker.
“They[76ers] need to shut him[Joel Embiid] down for the season! It shouldn’t be “reevaluate him in four weeks”. We are talking about a guy that is 7 foot, 285-295 pounds that has the workload of a guy of a size of Ja Morant or Steph Curry-the way he has to carry his team,” Perkins explained on First Take.
Then the former Boston Celtics Center pointed at the tough schedule ahead of the squad. According to Perkins, without Embiid, playing against top-level squads such as the Celtics, the Cavs, and the Bucks will decrease the Sixers’ win percentage significantly. So, for him, there is no point in getting Embiid back for the season when the team’s record would be in shambles. He argued, “Why rush him back? We know his history, we know what is going on with his health.”
”I said this a week ago but I was called everything but a child of God. Shut him down for the season. Let the guys run it out, resign Maxey in the offseason. You got all the cap space and give it a go next season,” added Perkins.
Perk then highlighted that by the time Embiid will be fully integrated back into the system around April, the intensity of the playoffs will be too much for the Sixers to make a deep title run. A disorganized effort might aggravate Embiid’s issues further. Therefore, Perk cautioned the 76ers’ management against rushing back the 29-year-old around the end of the Regular Season.
With the 65-game rule in place, Embiid, who was the leading MVP candidate till mid-season, will miss out on his second straight MVP win. However, Perk’s sombre prediction will be a more bitter pill to swallow for the 76ers star. Embiid has been vying for a Championship for years now. But the veteran star is yet to feature in the NBA Finals. This untimely injury will therefore frustrate him even further.
Is there any merit to what Kendrick Perkins said?
Before picking up a severe knee injury on January 31 against the Warriors, Embiid had been in and out of the lineup due to a host of injuries. He had been dealing with a torn meniscus in his left knee since his rookie season. Embiid has never played a full 82-game season before in his NBA career. Embiid missed his entire rookie year and sophomore year due to injuries.
He played just 31 games in his first season, meaning that he missed around 90% of games in his first three years. For his career, the seven-time All-Star has played a maximum of 68 games in a season, which he did during the 2022-23 season. During the current season, he will probably not be able to reach the 60-game mark again.
In the 34 games he has played this season, Embiid compiled a league-leading 35.3 points per game average while also tallying 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists,1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. With him on the floor, the 76ers had an outstanding 26-8 record. Since Embiid’s Warriors exit, Philly has two losses in three games. Overall, they have 11 losses and just four wins without their Ace. If the slide continues, the 76ers can slip to the 7-10 ranking bracket. They will be relegated to a Play-in team if that happens.
Therefore, perhaps Perk’s concerns are not invalid. However, Embiid still has a shot of coming back strong before the playoffs. Because knowing his history, there’s no way to predict that Embiid wouldn’t sustain another injury next season.
