Is Joel Embiid Another Greg Oden in the Making?

Have the Philadelphia 76ers accepted the fact that last year’s third overall draft pick Joel Embiid could be another case similar to Greg Oden?

Joel Embiid could miss the entire 15-16 NBA Season. pic.twitter.com/a5f5fjRw7O

— Inside Access Sports (@1nsideAccess) June 15, 2015

Embiid will reportedly miss the entire 2015-16 NBA season, his second consecutive, as he is set to undergo another surgery to address a navicular bone on his right foot.

This isn’t the first time that Embiid has fallen to he said injury. Before the actual 2014 NBA Draft, Embiid had to undergo surgery to treat the same foot. The injury meant that Embiid would be out of action for a maximum of six months.

The Cameroonian center would have been a hands-down choice to be the top pick of the 2014 NBA Draft class, a privilege that the Cleveland Cavaliers had. But with his recent surgery back then, the Cavs elected to pick up Andrew Wiggins instead.

With questions about his health in the air, Embiid was the surprise choice of the Philadelphia 76ers who were willing to wait on the 7-footer. And now it seems they will have to wait another year to see Embiid make his NBA debut.

But the question is on whether the 76ers’ patience will hold up. There are many who believe that the selection of Jahlil Okafor is an indication that Embiid may have likely lost his spot on the roster. Could this be the case?

The Sixers knew about the injury even before the NBA Draft and if one puts the pieces together, such could be the case. Ironically, it was Embiid himself who informed Okafor that Philly was selecting him (assuming back then that he was still available).

With that in mind, could Embiid’s case be similar to another NBA player, Greg Oden?

Oden’s case was a lot more disappointing since he was the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers. But before playing a single official NBA game, the former Ohio State University standout had to undergo microfracture surgery on his knee.

That procedure sidelined Oden for the entire 2007-08 season and it was only the following year when Oden made his debut. However, it was never smooth sailing for Oden as he continued to battle knee problems and barely finished an entire season healthy.

As everyone knows now, Oden has become a journeyman and teams are shying away from him because of his knee issues.

For Embiid, the earliest possible time for him to make his NBA debut would probably be 2006-17. However that may depend if the Sixers intend to keep him by 2016. The Sixers have a team option in 2016 so it will be interesting if the team will still be interested in keeping the former Jayhawk.

Apparently, a lot hinges on how Jahlil Okafor performs and how his partnership with Nerlens Noel holds up. If the two can hit it off well and benefit the Sixers, there is a big chance that Embiid will be good as lost.

The team could retain him for year and see what he can do. However, if he struggles and turns out to be a dud, it won’t be surprising to see him being eventually waived.