The 76ers’ season from hell is finally over and Tyrese Maxey has spoken about the massive impact of Joel Embiid’s injuries.
The Sixers big man played in just 19 regular season games out of 58 due to various injuries, but mainly knee complaints.
That, along with Paul George being largely unavailable made for a super tough season.
Maxey didn’t mince his words when he spoke to ESPN about Embiid.
“It sucked,” Maxey said. “It really did suck, man, because at the end of the day, Joe is somebody who really wants to be out there. So to see him suffer, to see him go out there and actually try and he just couldn’t be himself — you could tell. You’d give him the ball sometimes, and me being here the longest, I’ve seen him do so many spectacular things and I gave him the ball a couple of times in moments where I think that he’ll do something and I guess he just couldn’t, he was limited.”
He continued, “So hopefully that surgery went well and all that and he gets back to the Joel Embiid that we know and love. And, honestly, I hope it does for him because it’ll make him feel a lot better.”
Embiid underwent successful surgery on Friday, April 11, the 76ers PR shared.
“Joel Embiid underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Wednesday,” The Sixers reported. “The procedure was performed at NYU Langone Sports Medicine Center by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow. Embiid will be re-evaluated in approximately six weeks.”
Being the happy-go-lucky kind of guy that he is, Maxey was able to put a positive spin on a forgettable season for the Sixers.
“This is gonna sound bad, but the one positive that I do take away is the only way we can go from here is up,” Maxey said pregame Sunday. “It gives us something to build to—If you are here next year, you should have a different type of edge about yourself.”
