Joel Embiid officially diagnosed with ‘displaced flap of meniscus in his left knee;’ timetable for recovery still uncertain

Our lord and savior, Joel Embiid, could potentially miss the remainder of the 2023-’24 NBA season after suffering a displaced flap of meniscus in his left knee.

The injury occured during Tuesday night’s Sixers game against Golden State, where forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on Embiid’s left knee. On Friday, it was reported that Embiid suffered “an injury to his lateral meniscus in his left knee.” Then on Saturday, Shams broke the news of Joel Embiid’s official diagnosis.

Joel Embiid potentially out for the year

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid — the reigning NBA MVP — has been diagnosed with a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee and is weighing rest/rehab or a procedure, according to two sources.

Story at @TheAthletic with @joevardon: https://t.co/Fj99JlJV3v

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2024

According to the report, Embiid is still weighing his recovery options. It may not need surgery to repair, but it’s likely the best option long-term. For those confused about what a ‘displaced flap’ even means, it’s just a fancy way to say there’s a tear in his meniscus.

Brian Sutterer, a well known sports medicine doctor, was on the case following Shams’ initial Tweet:

This is a terrible way to describe the injury to the public and doesn’t help to clarify anything.

1. A displaced flap is a tear. Not an ‘injury’. The meniscus is torn

2. If you tell a sports doc someone has a ‘displaced flap’, those are words we often use to describe… https://t.co/rM1C5fE04o

— Brian Sutterer MD (@BrianSuttererMD) February 3, 2024

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Essentially, whoever’s communicating this information to Shams is trying to cover up the fact that Joel Embiid’s meniscus is in fact torn to some degree. A displaced flap obviously sounds a little better than torn meniscus.

If Embiid opts for surgery – which should be a no-brainer, honestly – he’ll face a 3-6 month recovery. Either way, this sucks, but surgically repairing the injury is probably the only legitimate way to fix it. Resting for the remainder of the regular season and then coming back for the postseason shouldn’t even be an option. There’s no sense in risking the long-term health of Embiid at this stage in his career.

Read More: LeBron James calls out media and podcast hosts over ridiculous treatment of Joel Embiid’s injury