The snake-bitten ways of the Philadelphia 76ers continue.
Philly.com is reporting that 2014 first-round draft pick Joel Embiid, the No. 3 overall selection from Kansas who missed his rookie season with a foot injury, may also be forced to sit out the entire 2015-16 season as well.
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The 76ers announced over the weekend that the 7-foot Embiid, the Cameroon native who averaged 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds during his only season at Kansas in 2013-14, has had a setback in his recovery from his right foot injury.
He had surgery to repair a stress fracture in the navicular bone in the foot in June of 2014, Philly.com reported.
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Embiid was expected to miss five to eight months to recover, but the organization made the decision to sit him out the entire season to give him more time to recuperate.
"Our priority remains providing Joel with every opportunity to ensure he has a long and successful NBA career," general manager Sam Hinkie said Saturday. ". . . We will continue to consult with the experienced team of doctors who have been an integral part of his evaluation, while also engaging in dialogue with a broader set of experts and specialists."
A second surgery remains an option, and the Sixers are prepared to go another season without the big man, a source told Philly.com. Other sources indicated that Embiid's "lackluster work ethic" was as much a factor in his setback as the foot's inability to heal properly.
"I don't think anyone [around the league] is surprised at all," an NBA executive told Philly.com. "Cleveland and Milwaukee [which picked first and second in last summer's draft] would not consider him because of the foot and back injuries."
A source added that Embiid's injury will not influence the team's plans in the 2015 NBA Draft that takes place June 25. The team still intends to take the best player available, regardless of position.
Philly.com added that former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming suffered a stress fracture in his navicular bone in 2008 and 2009, and by 2011, he was forced to retire.
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