NEWS broke today that rookie sensation and NBA cult hero Joel Embiid’s knee injury may be worse than first expected. The 2014 3rd overall pick had missed 16 of the past 17 games, and will now undergo and MRI, ruling him our indefinitely.

AFTER sitting out his first two full seasons with a foot injury, Embiid was performing at an impressive level in his 32 games this year. The Cameroon native has been averaging 20.2ppg, 7.8rpg and 2.5bpg for a struggling 76ers squad that is slowly rising the standings. In the new year before Embiid went down Philadelphia was one of the form teams in the competition. They started 2017 going 7-2 including impressive wins over playoff teams like the Raptors and the Clippers.

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OFF the court Embiid brought a level of excitement and fun to Philadelphia basketball that hasn’t been evident in years. His energy and enthusiasm was contagious to anyone who was near the seven foot phenom. He emerged as one of the funniest personalities on social media and didn’t deserve to be quelled by another injury. Embiid has a bright future and this won’t deter him from being one of the best players over the next decade, but in a perfect world Embiid would have remained on the court to help the 76ers emerge from the cellar. He will one day, but not in 2017.

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