- Joel Embiid is projected to miss an extended period after tearing the meniscus in his left knee.
- Embiid will undergo corrective surgery to repair his meniscus this week.
- As a result, the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2023-24 NBA title odds and Embiid’s MVP odds have taken a beating at online betting sites.
On Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers received unfortunate news regarding the defending NBA MVP. After suffering a knee injury against the Golden State Warriors last week, center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with a displaced flap in his meniscus. With Embiid set to miss time, the 76ers’ 2023-24 NBA Championship odds have fallen from +1400 to +2000, at Bovada.
Despite the 76ers not providing a timetable for Embiid’s return to the court, he is expected to miss extended time. That could mean a month or even more. In the wake of the injury, the implied probability of the 76ers winning the 2023-24 NBA title fell from 6.7 percent to 4.8 percent.
The defending NBA MVP sought back-to-back honors before going down with a knee injury. Now, it appears that it is a foregone conclusion that Embiid is out of the running for his second straight MVP.
Embiid MVP Odds Off The Board
When Embiid has been healthy, he has played like an MVP candidate. However, the center who has already missed 13 games, will have to miss even more time through January.
Players must appear in at least 65 regular season games to be eligible for the NBA MVP. Currently, Embiid has played 34 games in the 2023-24 regular season. Consequently, the knee injury all but removes Embiid from a chance at repeating as MVP.
It’s unfortunate, because Embiid has MVP numbers in 2023-24. If he was healthy this season, there would be a good opportunity for him to win the award again. In 34 minutes per game, Embiid has averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
Along with the 35.3 points being a league-best, the 76ers are just 4-10 this season when he is inactive. The 76ers suffer on both ends of the floor without Embiid’s services.
Since Embiid’s injury was announced, his odds to win MVP have crashed. Prior to the injury, Embiid was the betting favorite at +110. Immediately following the injury last week, Embiid’s NBA MVP odds jumped to +450.
On February 1, Embiid’s odds were at +1800. After NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski disclosed that Embiid would require a knee procedure on Sunday, Bovada removed his odds from the board.
With Embiid out of the MVP picture, Denver Nuggets’ center Nikola Jokic has taken control over his rivals. Currently, Jokic is the odds-on favorite to win MVP for a third time at –170. Jokic has an implied probability of 63 percent to win.
76ers Mum On NBA Trade Deadline Plans
The NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching, and the 76ers will likely change their approach with Embiid out of the lineup for the foreseeable future. At 30-18, the 76ers are still in playoff contention.
However, the 76ers haven’t proven that they can win consistently without Embiid in the starting lineup. This is not a competitive basketball team in Embiid’s absence. Head coach Nick Nurse certainly has a lot of work ahead of him to keep this squad in contention.
So, the front office has some questions to answer. Either they buy and attempt to salvage this season or sell and look forward to next season. With Tobias Harris playing on an expiring contract, he is the most attractive member of the 76ers to be traded.
At +200, the Sacramento Kings are the favorites to land Harris. On the contrary, the 76ers are also in the mix for several players as buyers. The 76ers have the second-best odds to acquire DeMar DeRozan from Chicago, and the third-best odds to trade for Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic.
The odds are favorable enough to make some people believe that the 76ers could aim for a deep playoff run. That said, if the 76ers’ front office is confident that Embiid’s recovery will last into the postseason, don’t expect them to make any waves as buyers at the trade deadline.
