The countdown clock to Joel Embiid's prospective return to the 76ers has restarted, more than a month after the team announced that he would indeed need bone-graft surgery in his right foot. He had that surgery on Tuesday, a person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed, so the mystery that had surrounded the process ought to be quelled for at least a little while.
The Sixers themselves, of course, fed the questions and speculation and mystery by remaining so quiet about Embiid and his situation. They released a statement on July 11 that said because Embiid had suffered a setback in the healing of his right navicular bone, he would undergo the operation within seven and 10 days.