Joel Embiid is back in action for the Philadelphia 76ers at a crucial moment of the year, with the 2023-24 NBA playoffs just around the corner. The Sixers are currently in Play-In spots, but the big man made it clear they’re not worried about their seed.
“We don’t care where we end up,” Embiid said, via SixersWire. “For me personally, I didn’t have to come back, but I wanna play. I love playing basketball and I wanna be on the floor. It doesn’t matter—obviously, I’d rather not be in the play-in, but if that’s the situation we’re in, that’s where we end up, that doesn’t change the goal which is to go out there and try to win every single game so it doesn’t matter where we end up.”
The Sixers find themselves eighth in the Eastern Conference, with five games to go. Riding on a three-game winning streak, the team has one more loss than the Heat, who are 7th but lost to Philly at home on Thursday.
What’s next for Embiid, Sixers before the playoffs
Embiid and company will now embark on a two-game road trip, playing the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday before taking the San Antonio Spurs a day later. After that, the 76ers will close the regular season with a three-game home stand against the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Brooklyn Nets.
Joel Embiid looks on during a game.
The expectations around the Sixers were bigger in the offseason, but Embiid missed plenty of time due to injury and now has to make sure the team can finish the season strongly to compete when the most important time of the year comes.
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“The key to us getting together—we haven’t played with each other for a long time so that’s another part that we need to figure out quickly,” Embiid added. “I think the key for us is to get healthy. I think we have a pretty good chance. We just need to find a way to get on the same page and I need to find a way to get back close to where I was.”
Embiid on chemistry with Lowry
Embiid’s return from injury saw him play for the first time next to Kyle Lowry, who joined the franchise halfway through the season. Unsurprisingly, the duo seem to be getting along on the court.
“It’s easy,” Embiid said. “He’s been connected to Philly for a long time so I’m glad he’s finally here, but I always say this: when you put smart basketball players together, it’s just easy. We already have that connection while we’ve been playing and it’s only gonna get better as I figure myself out and finally get back to—I don’t think I’m gonna get back to where I wanna be, but I’m pretty close to it so we’re only gonna get better.”
