Well, at least it wasn't a surprise.
In his post-draft press conference on Friday, Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie revealed that No. 3 pick center Joel Embiid will be out for up to eight months recovering from a broken foot.
As reported by CSN Philly:
"The number that I’ve heard from the surgeon himself was 5 to 8 months….
"Guess what our approach will be? We will focus on the long-term health of the player,” Hinkie said. “We’ve had this discussion before. … It is all that matters, the long-term health of the player. Will we be smart about that? Of course. Will we be thoughtful about that? I hope so. Will we be patient? Yes. We will give him every chance to be as healthy as he can be."
Embiid's injury history has been in the public sphere since he was forced out of March Madness with back issues. However, the new timeline for his recovery is longer than what was originally reported.
For most teams, not having the third overall pick available to contribute in the short term is a worry. That's not the case for the Sixers, who seem intent on tanking for a second straight season. With Embiid, and 12th pick forward Dario Saric unavailable to play next season, the Sixers will likely repeat their abysmal performance.
And it's reminiscent of the Sixers' gamble on center Nerlens Noel last season. Philadelphia acquired Noel in a draft-day trade along with a pick (which turned into Saric) for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday. Noel missed the entirety of the season while the Sixers were, again, horrible.
[H/T Pro Basketball Talk]
