Joel Embiid and Jonathan Kuminga were fighting for a loose ball when the latter fell on Embiid’s knee. Having been dealing with knee issues for the past few weeks, this was the final straw for the 76ers’ player. Embiid was taken to the locker room, and it was finally announced that he had no definite timeline for a return.

On Sunday night, the team announced Embiid was to undergo surgery to repair the lateral meniscus on his left knee. And in the recent update, Nick Nurse talked about how the 76ers big man was doing. “I feel really bad for him, right. He’s having a historic season… Just everything he’s done. He practised hard, he prepped hard, he was just doing everything at a super high level.”

“First of all, I feel bad for him. Well, how is he doing? I mean, I think he’s probably a little up and down, to be honest with you. But I get some pretty positive vibes from him, which is why I say he’s up, some encouraging things and then there’s time when, you know, where he’s, I think probably what anybody would be like.”

The 7-foot center was determined to get the MVP this season, as well. Averaging 35.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game this season, Embiid was the major reason why the Sixers could stay dominant even amidst the whole James Harden saga. Even so, he could only appear for 34 out of 48  games Philly has played in the 2023-24 season. That’s 14 missed contests.

As Nurse said, the reigning MVP has been putting in all the “hard work” and staying “competitive”. Given his tough start to the NBA and his injury history, everything Embiid has achieved this far is pure determination and sheer will. And so, it was not surprising when he was adamant about attending the minimum requirement of 65 games to qualify for major awards.

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Is the NBA’s 65-game rule going to be the Achilles heel for players like Joel Embiid?

This season has been a vehicle of change, more or less. From the player participation policy, and the introduction of the In-Season Tournament to the latest NBA vs WNBA three-point contest; the most controversial of them was the 65-point game policy. According to this, players must play a minimum of 65 games or more to be eligible for post-game honors like MVP, All-NBA, or DPOY.

Some of these latest developments have been well-received by the NBA world. But the same can’t be said for the 65-game rule. From prominent journalists to star players, many have come forward to call out the league for the mandate. Draymond Green, in his podcast, mentioned how this rule forced Embiid to continue playing despite the obvious health struggles the man is facing. “Now we got one of the premier faces of this league possibly hurt because he’s forcing it,” he said.

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Ex-NBA player Jamal Crawford was also quite concerned with how this would affect the mental health of the players. Exerting themselves to the point where they can dismiss their health and red flags to meet the eligibility criteria seems too big of a risk.

“I understand what the NBA is doing as far as, okay let’s get these guys playing. But not if Joel Embiid is hurt… So I’m just hoping it’s not serious… They don’t have to risk themselves and their livelihood to say I need to meet a quota to be eligible,” he stated. But whether this will be enough to sway Commissioner Silver is a big question mark.

From the league’s perspective, it seems to be getting what it wants. Star players are playing more games than ever. As reported by CBS Sports, 71% of star players (All-Stars or All-NBA players from the past three seasons) are on track to play 65 or more games this season. This is a stark increase from 47% at this time last year. So there are fewer games that they sit out for. In turn, it has increased the viewership and excitement of fans.

What do you think will be the final verdict? Will Embiid’s historic season go in vain or will it be enough to make the NBA reconsider the 65-game rule? Let us know what you think!

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