March 28, 2024
After their loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night in James Harden's return to Philadelphia, the Sixers are currently the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, putting them in Play-In Tournament territory. The team would love to avoid that uncertainty and make a clear-cut postseason berth. The potential return of Joel Embiid is key there.
Sidelined since January with a meniscus injury, questions remain about when exactly Embiid will be back on the court, but a new update from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday brought a bit more clarity. Here's what he had to say:
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said tonight that there's a lot of optimism that Joel Embiid will be back before the end of the regular season and I'm told it is not a question of 'if' but 'when' and the belief is with nine regular season games left after tonight against the Clippers that Joel Embiid can be back for a handful of those before the playoffs. Whether that's the play-in, whether the Sixers can move up a couple of spots in the standings and get out of that play-in...
There's a lot of optimism right now around Joel Embiid. I'm told that he is moving well. He has looked good on the court and, again, just a matter of when he makes his return at this point, not if and the Sixers expect they can get a few games under his belt before they have to start playoff games or play-in games. [ESPN]
Reporting on Joel Embiid for NBA Countdown with @malika_andrews pic.twitter.com/nXI5WbZAF0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 28, 2024
The Sixers are desperate for Embiid right now. They're a sinking ship and Tyrese Maxey's All-Star season isn't enough to carry a roster that's highly questionable outside of him. Avoiding the Play-In Tournament and nabbing a first-round matchup with Cleveland or New York would give the Sixers a puncher's chance if Embiid suits up. Otherwise, it'll be a short basketball spring in Philly.
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