Joel Embiid Likely To Miss Upcoming Season After Foot Surgery

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is likely to miss the 2015-2016 season, according to Keith Pompey of . Embiid is scheduled to have surgery in his right foot, which caused him to miss all of last season.

Embiid suffered a stress fracture in the foot days before he became the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft. The tanktastic Sixers held him out for the entire year so Embiid could come back healthy with another high lottery pick by his side. Embiid suffered a setback in the foot as he rehabbed for summer league, but now, according to Pompey, the Sixers are planning on not having him for another full season.

When will teams ever learn about taking injured big men at the top of the draft? Embiid’s story is shockingly similar to those of Greg Oden or Sam Bowie. The early career injuries, the questions about attitude, the never-ending rehab situations. It’s a shame, because Embiid seems like a fun kid, and we haven’t seen him on an NBA court so much as a second.

As for the Sixers, this has to be some kind of karmic force, right? In one sense, the team is fortunate to have tanked again, because it landed Philly center Jahlil Okafor in this year’s draft. With Nerlens Noel also in the frontcourt, this is the one area the team is actually built to withstand injury. While it’s easy to feel sympathy for Embiid, it’s hard to feel sympathy for a team that’s been purposefully losing for years, and plans to continue losing for the foreseeable future. A cynic may say this is why they tanked, so they were prepared for this kind of situation. That’s bullshit.

It’s unclear what this will all mean to sentient spreadsheet Sam Hinkie. Are emotions part of his process? If anything, the Embiid injury ensures another shitty season in Philadelphia. Maybe they have no reason to be upset after all.

Photo via Associated Press