Joel Embiid is playing like a man on a mission this season. He was a prime candidate for his second MVP title.

However, the worst of the worst happened as he suffered a meniscus injury, and a return remains bleak.

The 2023 MVP contracted the injury against the Golden State Warriors, where he played 30 minutes and scored just 14 points.

He sat out the two games before that, including what would have been a showdown with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

For that, he was accused of ducking Jokic. His camp defended that they did not want to aggravate his injury.

Now, it can be said that he is not ducking anyone. The Warriors game is being seen as the one that made it worse for him.

Even Lebron James commented about Joel Embiid's injury and his critics before the bad news.

Joel Embiid's injury and recovery time

The Sixers staff have yet to call Joel Embiid's injury a meniscus tear-just a meniscus injury.

"Sixers say MRI on left knee of Joel Embiid revealed an injury to the lateral meniscus," NBA reporter Chris Haynes wrote.

"Embiid, in consultation with the 76ers medical staff and several leading specialists, will be out through weekend while a treatment plan is finalized. Updates to be provided as appropriate."

A meniscus injury, which happens because of the twisting motion of the knees, is one of the most common injuries in basketball.

The meniscus is a C-shaped pad of cartilage that can be likened to a "shock absorber" at the knee.

A patient could be affected in three ways: 1) Longitudinal, a.k.a. displaced tear or bucket handle tear; 2) Horizontal, also called a flap tear; and 3) radial or parrot beak tear.

Recovery time varies depending on the severity of the injury. The worst ones might even necessitate surgery.

According to Healthline, the treatment of a meniscus injury depends on the severity of the tear, the lifestyle of the patient, and the length of the persistence of symptoms. The age may also be a factor.

It can be repaired without surgery and will take four to eight weeks to heal fully. The recovery time may be longer if the concerned knee is relatively healthy before the injury.

Acute tears only cause slight discomfort or minimal pain. The patient must avoid walking if it is a severe tear until the pain dissipates.

Joel Embiid's injury history

The Sixers center has dealt with injuries before. He started his NBA career as a spectator, as he was forced to sit out his first season due to a broken navicular bone in his foot. He also missed the next season because of the same injury.

He played just 31 games in 2017 because of a torn left meniscus.

In 2022, he also missed games to repair the injury on his two hands, which affected his game during the 2022 playoffs.

Embiid is currently the leading scorer of the season with 35.3 points. His team is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference.

He was also selected for the All-Star Game as a starter, but the NBA now needs to look for his replacement.