Joel Embiid is back in the news, and back in Qatar visiting the Aspetar Podiatry and Sports Clinic there. Should we feel concern or relief?

Camaroon native Joel Embiid is up to 7′ 2″ tall, and weighs 250 pounds. When he entered the NBA, he was accurately listed as 7′ 0″. But with many young men, he has continued to grow through the age of 20. And so now, at age 22, he is two inches taller than his NBA listed height, two years older than his 20 year old debut, but he has yet to play in an NBA game. He just can’t seem to get his foot in the door. Still, he has remained in touch with the team throughout the entire ordeal, and had this to share with his head coach Brett Brown before he was scheduled for his second surgery on his right foot Navicular bone.

“I get a text from Joel a few weeks ago in the middle of the night that said: ‘Guess how tall I am.’ And so I guessed seven-foot. Two minutes later he texts back ‘You’re wrong, I’m 7’2″.’ I text back ‘How do you know this?’ He texts back ‘Doctors. I’m 7’2″ in sandals.’ And when you stand next to him, when you’re around big men you understand the difference between seven-foot and seven-two, and he is 7’2″.”

Fortunately for Joel Embiid, the science of treating Navicular stress fractures has advanced many times over and continues to do so as global awareness turns its attention towards that little weight bearing bone of the human foot. This fact is the focus of Dr. David T. Martin, hired on as the team’s Director of Performance Research and Development. This is the role Dr. Martin, vetting these new treatments while weaving them into the critical path of next steps that Joel Embiid must now follow in adhering to his road to recovery. As many watch events play out: an unassuming year with little news which preceded the Philadelphia 76ers hiring of Dr. David Martin, which preceded Joel Embiid’s second surgery, which preceded revisiting the discipline of the player after the first surgery to exploring the new rehabilitation track for Embiid, which preceded the first trip to Aspetar, which preceded Embiid’s return to the USA which preceded Joel Embiid’s second trip to Aspetar.

Got all that? Well yes, it is somewhat confusing.