It was great while it lasted, as the Philadelphia 76ers announced on Wednesday that their prized center Joel Embiid will be missing the rest of the 2016-17 season, following MRI results that revealed a “more pronounced” meniscus tear on his left knee. And while “the process” will have to once again wait a little longer, an intriguing question surrounds how the Sixers will handle Joel Embiid’s future with the team.

As noted by SB Nation, Joel Embiid, despite missing the first two years of his career due to foot injuries, is eligible for a contract extension this offseason that would lock him up with the Philadelphia 76ers’ future. But the glaring fact is that the talented center, who has averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in 31 games this season, has only played in 13 percent of the Sixers games since being drafted in 2014. Joel Embiid is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2018 if he does not sign an extension with the team.

“Our primary objective and focus remains to protect his long-term health and ability to perform on the basketball court,” Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said. But while there is no question about Joel Embiid’s ability to perform whenever he is on the basketball court, staying on it is a different matter altogether. “He’s just in the early stages of what I think is going to be a long, long time having tremendous success,” his optimistic coach Brett Brown added.

As Bleacher Report poinst out, Joel Embiid’s last game for the Philadelphia 76ers was during a loss to the Houston Rockets on Jan. 27. He was initially diagnosed with a bone bruise, before a meniscus tear was found. Joel Embiid missed the first two seasons of his career due to various foot injuries before finally suiting up this season to become a runaway Rookie of the Year favorite before getting hurt again.

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