(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
When superstar center Joel Embiid injured his meniscus about two months ago in a game against the Golden State Warriors, he seemed to take down the Philadelphia 76ers’ championship hopes with him.
Shortly before that injury, they were in third place in the Eastern Conference, but now, they’re in eighth place, and they have only an extremely slim chance of avoiding the play-in tournament.
People have been hinting lately that Embiid’s return is around the corner, and it could come on Tuesday when the Sixers play the Oklahoma City Thunder, per Tim Bontemps.
Joel Embiid has been upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 2, 2024
While the Sixers have some very good players who have tried to keep them afloat in Embiid’s absence, replacing a dominant big man such as Embiid is nearly impossible.
He is the NBA’s reigning regular season MVP, and at the time of his injury, he was looking like perhaps the favorite to win another MVP with averages of 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocked shots per game.
His presence makes things easier on his teammates in so many ways, and assuming he returns with no setbacks, Philly could become a very dangerous team come postseason time.
It’s all about the playoffs for Philly, who haven’t gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001 and have had to overcome some lackluster postseason performances from Embiid.
Although his playoff numbers haven’t been poor, they have been significantly lower than his regular season numbers over the years, and that needs to change if the team is to go very far in the playoffs.
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