Joel Embiid Injury Update: Former NBA MVP suffers major setback with knee ailment 

Less than two years removed from winning MVP, Joel Embiid has struggled to stay on the floor consistently for the Philadelphia 76ers. On Friday morning, new developments emerged regarding the superstar center's stint on the sidelines.

Embiid has missed the Sixers' last six games due to an ankle injury, and it appears he won't be back in the lineup soon. News surfaced that he has foot has recovered, but his knee continues to deal with swelling. Because of this, Embiid will remain out for the next seven to 10 days while the team addresses it.

Just before the halfway point in the regular season, Joel Embiid has appeared in only 13 games. He's still impactful when on the floor, but has failed to be a nightly fixture in the lineup. On the season, Embiid is averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

Being without Embiid is a tough blow for the Sixers, as they remain outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They currently sit in 11th place with a 15-25 record.

Embiid's last appearance for the Sixers came back on January 4th in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

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Udonis Haslem brings up glaring Joel Embiid question amid current injury woes

News like what came out on Friday is unfortunately par for the course for Joel Embiid, as he's dealt with injuries throughout his entire NBA career. Now back on the sidelines, one for player brought up the glaring question the Phiadelphia 76ers are facing.

On Wednesday, the Sixers faced off against the New York Knicks in a nationally televised matchup on ESPN. Both teams would be without their star big men, as Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns were both ruled out.

While on NBA Today that evening, Udonis Haslem brought up the one question that Sixers have to be asking themselves regarding Joel Embiid. That being if they can fully trust him to lead the franchise to a championship.

"When you talk about looking at the future," Haslem said. "Is Joel Embiid going to be healthy? Is this the guy, is this the leader, is this the person that can lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the championship and to the promised land?"

Over the summer, the Sixers made an array of moves to drastically improve the team's chances of contending for a championship. Along with their big signing of Paul George, they were also able to secure strong complementary pieces. That said, Embiid remains the key factor in how far they go. As the Sixers' superstar talent, the team is only going to go as far as he can take them.

The Sixers have already dug themselves a deep hole, and now have to try and climb out without the services of their best player.