Joel Embiid has been away from the Philadelphia 76ers since the end of January when he severely hurt his knee and was forced to undergo surgery to repair a left meniscus injury.
Since then, the Sixers have been fighting hard to stay in playoff contention but have slipped to the sixth seed in the East.
Although impaired, their postseason hopes are still alive but the team wants Embiid back as soon as possible.
According to John Clark, Embiid is “still on track to return in the first or second week of April before the playoffs.”
I’m told Joel Embiid is still on track to return in the first or second week of April before the playoffs #Sixers pic.twitter.com/tKbaP5AQ5l
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 14, 2024
This is undoubtedly good news for the team because Embiid remains not only the best player on the 76ers but also perhaps the best player in the league.
With his average of 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, Embiid was on his way to another MVP trophy before this recent injury forced him to miss the NBA’s 65-game threshold.
He is no longer eligible to win that prize but can still hugely help the Sixers.
Ideally, he will come back with enough time to readjust, meaning he will be ready to play in the postseason without any issues.
If he is looking great again, he could lift the 76ers to a higher level.
As mentioned, Philadelphia is currently the sixth seed, which means they’d be battling the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs if they started today.
That would obviously be a tough opponent for the team but Embiid could give them a fighting chance.
Of course, there is also a chance that the 76ers score some important wins before Embiid’s return and climb higher in the standings ahead of the regular season’s end.
Either way, they will be happy to see their star player suit up again.
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