Joel Embiid Starts On-Court Workouts, On Path For Return To Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers have tumbled from contention for the first seed in the Eastern Conference to now avoiding the dreaded play-in game(s).

With Philly’s playoff chances slipping away, the return of their best player is needed now more than ever. 

Superstar center and reigning 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid has “started on-court workouts” nearly a month after a meniscus injury he suffered in early February, according to ESPN’s Katie George. He has been lifting weights equivalent to what he had been lifting before the injury, indicating he is on a positive path to full recovery.

Embiid had a lateral meniscus injury during a Jan. 30 match against the Golden State Warriors. He faced an uncertain timetable to return, but it seems that the first re-evaluation four weeks after the injury brought good news to Embiid and the Sixers.

In 34 games, Embiid averaged a stunning 35.3 points per game, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He has proved to be irreplaceable, as the Sixers have gone only 6-8 since he last played. Even with Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, the team is just not the same without their superstar. Sitting at 35-26 and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia has their work cut out for them to salvage their season and continue a run that many fans thought could be a championship-caliber squad.

On Feb. 29, during Embiid’s first press conference since the injury, he was asked if he would return this season. His answer? “Everything has to go right as far as getting healthy and being as close as I’m supposed to be,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “But yeah, that’s the plan.”