Sometimes a picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

It certainly is in the case of Joel Embiid.

Embiid going through pregame warm-ups, with some form of a brace on. pic.twitter.com/0dcV3b0H02 — Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) April 13, 2019

I am sure Embiid is tough and can play through his current knee issue, but the worry goes beyond the playoffs this year.

The picture above indicates concern about a long-term issue.

The brace shown is used for unicompartmental arthritis. It could be used for a bone bruise, but absent an acute injury that is unlikely. And given Embiid’s long-term value, I doubt the Sixers medical staff would allow him to play through a bone bruise to risk further damage.


Therefore the brace almost certainly means Embiid’s longevity is in question.

Assuming the brace means he has some sort of arthritis, there is no complete cure. There can only be management of the issue.

Can the 76ers create a dynasty if one of their key pieces has health issues? That is the significant question that arises from what we learned today.

I hope I am wrong, but the use of an unloader brace indicates a potential long-term issue which might derail the process in utimately bringing a championship to Philadelphia.