Joel Embiid was in the midst of a historical season before suffering a knee injury. He was running away with the NBA MVP award, averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 34 games.
Unfortunately for him and the Philadelphia 76ers, he wasn’t able to keep his foot on the gas — both literally and figuratively — and some feared he could be done for the rest of the season.
That’s why coach Nick Nurse and Sixers fans might be thrilled to know that help is on the way, as Embiid could be back on the floor pretty soon, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Joel Embiid Could Be Back From His Knee Injury This Week
“Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is closing in on a comeback, possibly as soon as Tuesday’s home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, league sources tell The Athletic,” wrote Charania. “Embiid and the 76ers are still working to finalize his return date, but it is believed to be any day now. The reigning NBA MVP has completed multiple five-on-five scrimmages at practice in recent days, league sources said.”
The Sixers still have a handful of games left in the season, and while avoiding the Play-In Tournament might be off the table at this point, getting their superstar gives them a big chance to secure a postseason berth:
“The 76ers have seven games left in the regular season, including four this week: Tuesday against the Thunder, Thursday in Miami, Saturday in Memphis and Sunday in San Antonio,” Charania added.
The Sixers are deeper and better coached than ever before in the Embiid era. Then again, they’ll need to find a way to get past their nemesis, the Boston Celtics, to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time in more than two decades.
SURVEY Can the Sixers make a deep postseason run?
Can the Sixers make a deep postseason run?
ALREADY VOTED 2 PEOPLE