On Wednesday, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters that star center Joel Embiid is expected to return from a torn meniscus by April 14, the end of the 2023-24 NBA regular season. “It's very likely” that it will happen, he said. He hasn't played since he was injured in late January against the Golden State Warriors and underwent knee surgery shortly after.
“I think he's getting better every day,” Nurse added. “We're just trying to get him stronger, more confident, fitter, stronger. And all the great words.”
At ESPN nba countdown, Adrian Wojnarowski “It's not a question of when he's going to come back,” Embiid said. He said Embiid is “moving well” and “looking good on the court,” so the Sixers are reportedly optimistic he can return with just a few games left in the regular season. There is.
After Thursday's practice, Nurse told reporters that Embiid did “skill work” on other players, but did not publicly say when he would return. However, Embiid accompanied the Sixers on a two-game trip to Cleveland (Friday) and Toronto (Sunday), which seems to suggest that it won't be long before he's back on the field.
The Sixers also began teasing his return on social media Thursday.
Regardless of when he returns, Embiid likely won't have much time to get back into shape before the postseason begins. But his return could give the Sixers far more upside than the typical seeded team.
The Sixers are currently the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, so they will face the 7th seed Miami Heat in the play-in tournament. The Heat are currently 1.5 games behind the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers with nine games left in the season, but there are still games against the Sixers and Pacers remaining. There is still time for these three to compete for seeding.
If the Sixers can't jump over the Heat and Pacers to claim the No. 6 seed, there's no guarantee they'll make the playoffs. If they lose to the Heat in a 7-8 game, they will face the winner of the 9-10 Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks game with either a win or a home game. It's less than ideal for Embiid to face such a risk while trying to return from a two-month layoff.
If the Sixers win the game with a 7-8 record, they will face the Milwaukee Bucks, led by former head coach Doc Rivers, in the first round. Although they lost the game 7-8, a win against either the Hawks or the Bulls would set them up to face the rival Boston Celtics, who have tormented them in recent years and are running for the best record in the league this season. Either way, they'll probably have a brutal first-round matchup.
Still, it's worth remembering how well the Sixers were playing before Embiid went down.
On January 22, Embiid scored a franchise-record 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs and soon-to-be Rookie of the Year Victor Wembaneyama. At the time, the Sixers tied for fourth-best record in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder, trailing only the Celtics, Bucks, and Minnesota Timberwolves. They also had the league's second-best net rating behind the Celtics.
The modest extension of the December schedule allowed the Sixers to shore up their records and advanced metrics, but they weren't just eating cupcakes. Embiid scored 51 points on 17-of-25 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds against Rudy Gobert, the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year, against the Timberwolves on December 20, but Tyrese Maxey He scored 35 points on 12 of 24 shots and recorded 5 assists. Same game. Embiid also had 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in a road game against the Thunder in late November.
Before the injury, Embiid was the league's leading scorer for the third straight season, posting a career-high 35.3 points, 53.3 percent shooting, 11.3 rebounds, career-high 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks in just 34.0 minutes per game. He appeared to be working hard to win his second consecutive MVP award, provided he played in at least 65 games. (He didn't.)
With Embiid gone, the Sixers traded Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, and Patrick Beverley at the trade deadline to acquire Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne. They also signed veteran guard Kyle Lowry, who was waived by the Charlotte Hornets after being acquired from the Miami Heat in the Terry Rozier trade. Lowry has started all but three of his 16 games with the Sixers, while Hield is averaging 15.4 points on 8.1 3-point attempts per game and percentage from deep in his first 12 games with the team. 42.3% was recorded.
If Embiid returns, Hield may benefit from the gravitational pull on defenders more than anyone else on the roster. Hield is a career 40.0 percent 3-point shooter on 7.6 attempts per game, and Embiid has built strong partnerships in the past with sharpshooters like JJ Redick and Seth Curry. The dribble handoff between Hield and Embiid should be just as deadly, not to mention the three-man action that incorporates Lowry and Maxey.
Hield isn't the only Sixer missing the attention Embiid gets from opposing teams. Embiid is the Sixers' mainstay on both ends of the floor, so all of his teammates are affected by his absence. His return will help create easy shots for everyone and will also help cover for defensive mistakes.
If the Sixers make the playoffs, they would be at a disadvantage against any team they face in the first round, whether it's the Celtics, Bucks, New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers. But depending on who they draw and Embiid's health upon his return, he could be a trending player that upsets higher-seeded opponents.
With Embiid's return seemingly imminent, the Sixers are the NBA's biggest wild card heading into April. They may not even make the playoffs, but there is a ceiling for legitimate championship contenders.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are NBA.com, PBP statistics, cleaning the glass or basketball reference. All salary information can be found at spot rack or Real GM.All odds are as follows FanDuel Sportsbook.
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