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Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is out indefinitely due to a knee injury and is set to undergo an MRI.

The team announced the news Monday and added Embiid did not take part in Monday's shootaround because of swelling in his left knee.

Embiid has missed 16 of the past 17 games with the ailment.

The 22-year-old is an elite talent, but injuries have wreaked havoc on his NBA career since Philadelphia selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft.

Embiid missed his first two NBA seasons due to a foot injury. Although he has performed at a high level when healthy in 2016-17, he has appeared in just 31 games.

The 7-footer is averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.1 assists per contest for a Sixers team that currently has 12 more wins than it did all of last season at 22-36.

Embiid's injury issues are compounded by the fact that the 76ers announced last week 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick Ben Simmons is out for the season with a foot injury.

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Also, Philadelphia traded center Nerlens Noel to the Dallas Mavericks prior to the deadline, leaving Jahlil Okafor as the only quality option at center.

The Sixers acquired Andrew Bogut in the Noel deal, but he is expected to get bought out by the team, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon.

Philadelphia remains at least one season away from being a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference, but with a 9-18 record when Embiid doesn't play in 2016-17, being competitive will be a major challenge for as long as he is on the shelf.