So I'm listening to 97.5 right now...

I'm studying pathology rather than PT, so I am by no means an expert, but here's what I know;

The navicular bone is a medial keystone bone that articulates with five different bones (the three cuneiforms, the talus and the cuboid), and it provides the insertion point for the tibialis posterior muscle. In muscles, the insertion always moves towards the origin. So, for example, when you do a bicep curl, the insertion (at your elbow) contracts towards the origin (at your shoulder).

The tibialis posterior is a medial muscle that originates near the knee and inserts into the navicular bone at the foot, and runs along the middle and back portion of the lower leg seen here.jpg). This muscle is an important muscle for both plantar flexion and medial stabilization of the foot. That means that it's a key muscle for both jumping and landing.

Now I'm going to make an assumption only based upon my understanding as described above, but I'd assume that the tibialis posterior function is the main reason why this injury is so troublesome for Embiid. Jumping and landing is a key part of what basketball players do, so that's a ton of upward-pulling stress on the navicular bone. That's also compounded by the fact that Joel Embiid is fucking huge; his height and weight means that much more force is required to execute both his jumping and landing motions. This, in my opinion, is why proper healing of this bone is crucial. If healed improperly, the stress and rigor of NBA basketball could eventually lead to a chronic ailment that might be impossible to recover fully from.

/r/sixers Thread