Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid had surgery Monday to repair his sprained right thumb while also undergoing a separate procure to correct an issue with his left index finger, the team announced on Tuesday.
Embiid has torn a ligament in his thumb during the team’s first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, though he did not let that injury cause him to miss any games for the duration of their playoff run. He did miss the first two games of the Miami Heat series due to a fractured orbital bone and a concussion suffered in Game 6 against the Raptors.
It was expected that the 28-year-old would get surgery after the season. He remains expected to be ready to play for training camp, assuming he doesn’t make any bold decisions in the meantime.
It goes without saying that Embiid is the cornerstone of the Sixers roster. He finished second in MVP voting this season, leading the league in scoring with 30.6 points per game as well as grabbing 11.7 rebounds on average. He also averaged 23.6 points and 10.7 rebounds in the playoffs.
Embiid’s health and happiness will go a long way in determining whether or not Philly can get over the hump next season and get to the NBA Finals. In the meantime, news of the surgery garnered a lot of reactions around the NBA world.
[ESPN]