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]
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.
MORE: Sixers lose to Clippers
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