The Philadelphia 76ers, who were looking like championship contenders in the first two or three months of this season, have been floundering without superstar center Joel Embiid.
Embiid suffered a meniscus injury a few weeks ago, and without him, his team has fallen from third place in the Eastern Conference to fifth place.
But by no means is his injury a season-ending one, and according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, there is some hope he could return by the end of March, per ClutchPoints.
"There's some hope that the Sixers can get Joel Embiid back on the court by late-march… The goal is to get him as healthy as he can be for the postseason."
— Woj 🗣️
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/MBc31Xh1fM
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 27, 2024
Embiid, the reigning regular-season MVP, was looking like the favorite to win the award again prior to his injury, as he was averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocked shots a game.
However, he has missed so many games that he will not be eligible for this season’s MVP award.
With him, the Sixers are an elite team primed for a deep playoff run, thanks in part to the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, who is putting up 25.8 points and 6.4 assists a contest.
While Embiid has been out, the team has traded for veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield while also adding veteran guards Kyle Lowry and Cameron Payne.
If the Cameroon native returns soon enough and remains healthy, perhaps Philly can get hot in the final couple of weeks of the regular season and build momentum going into the playoffs.
Perhaps regaining the third seed is out of the question by now, but momentum and good health going into the postseason may be more important at this point.
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