The last time Joel Embiid spoke for the Philadelphia 76ers it was January 30 against the Warriors of the Golden State. That night, Embiid fell to the Warriors forward. Jonathan Kuminga and he underwent surgery on Feb. 6 to repair a meniscus problem in his left knee.
The big guy hasn’t played a single game since and the Sixers have had to find ways to stay afloat in his absence. Thanks to the All-Star game of Tyrese Maxey and the coaching adjustments made by Nick Nurse, Philadelphia That’s exactly what he did while waiting for Embiid to return.
Before their match against Phoenix Suns On Wednesday, Nurse gave an encouraging update on Embiid, telling reporters:
We had non-contact training so he was able to experience that. We’ve always said we hope he comes back to play. He is on the ground. I don’t do it – I don’t mean daily – but almost every day now when he’s on the court doing basketball stuff. All the checks have been positive and we’re just trying to do it – he’s kind of in the ramp-up phase now. What can he handle and when can he start having contact and when can he start playing one-on-one and when can he start playing five-on-five? When will he be able to do contact training and then we will be really close.
If the Sixers can get Embiid back before the playoffs, then they will have a strong chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. Of course, a lot will depend on how he looks when he returns from such a long absence, but if he gets close to the player he was before the injury, then Philadelphia will be in a great position.
