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Is Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid on the verge of returning from his long-running stint on the injury list?
That’s what a tweet from the 76ers account on Thursday has some fans believing.
Embiid has been out since January 30 after having surgery to repair a displaced flap of the meniscus. But now it appears his long-awaited return to the court could come Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 28, 2024
In total, Embiid has missed 27 games and the Sixers have struggled mightily in his absence. Philadelphia went just 10-17 in those 20 games and dropped from third to eighth in the Eastern Conference.
But 76ers coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday that the reigning MVP should return before the start of the NBA playoffs.
“I think there’s a very good likelihood that he will return before the play-in, playoff,” Nurse said.
Embiid has been ramping up his practice load of late and was most recently a part of full-team drills.
The Sixers are hoping to get him back up to speed and in game shape prior to the postseason. Unless Philadelphia is able to make up 1.5 games on the Indiana Pacers, the Sixers could well be looking at a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
The winner of that tournament looks most likely to face the Milwaukee Bucks, led by former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, in the first round. While the team that finishes in eighth will take on the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
When Embiid was healthy, the Sixers looked every bit a title contender, while Embiid was yet again putting up MVP-caliber numbers.
But in his absence, they also lost key contributors such as De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington to injury while first-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey missed time due to a concussion.
Both Melton and Covington could soon return as well, according to Nurse. Making the Sixers one lower-seeded team that top teams will likely hope to avoid.