Two screws were inserted into Joel Embiid's right foot during surgery Friday. The center, who was expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in next Thursday's NBA Draft before suffering a stress fracture in the foot, will need four to six months to fully recover.
Yahoo! Sports first reported Embiid's time of recovery.
"Two screws were inserted into the navicular bone in Joel Embiid's right foot," surgeon Richard Ferkel said in a statement. "The surgery went very well and I'm confident that after appropriate healing he will be able to return to NBA basketball. Joel tolerated the surgery without difficulty and will begin his rehabilitation in the near future."
Embiid was one of three players commonly predicted to be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick -- his Kansas teammate Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker of Duke are the others. Like Embiid, Wiggins and Parker also left school after their freshman year.
A native of Cameroon, Embiid's health was an issue before the foot injury. His season at Kansas was cut short due to a stress fracture in his back -- he was able to participate in any postseason tournaments. There was speculation that he never fully recovered.
Despite talk about his health, it appeared the Cavaliers were prepared to select Embiid, who worked out for the team last week without incident. He reportedly impressed scouts during workouts in California earlier this month.
Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks this past season as a freshman. While Embiid he is still a work in-progress on offense, his quick reflexes, solid footwork and advanced shot-blocking skills have drawn comparisons to Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon.
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