With Joel Embiid Returning To Lineup, Can The Sixers Still Make The Playoffs?

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid has been out since late January following knee surgery but is set to return to the lineup this week. Embiid had left meniscus surgery after an injury in a January 30 loss to the Golden State Warriors but has ramped back up since then and is ready to make a return as the push for the playoffs begins.

Before his injury, the reigning league MVP was putting up numbers that had only been seen since Wilt Chamberlain.

From October through January, Embiid averaged a league-high 35.3 points per game, along with 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks. He was also the only player since Chamberlain in 1962 to average more points than minutes played. Though he’s put up numbers that haven’t been seen this century, Embiid is unable to win any league awards because he won’t play the minimum 70% of games this year.

In the span without their star, the Sixers held a 29-17 record and were fifth in the East, but following his absence, the team is now 40-37 and eighth in the conference standings. Since Embiid’s injury, the team has gone 11-18 in February and March.

Point guard Tyrese Maxey has been leading the team in his place for Philadelphia. This year, as a first-time All-Star, Maxey is averaging a career-high 25.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists. Following the trade of James Harden and with Embiid out, Maxey has been the major factor for the Sixers’ season still being alive at all. Tobias Harris, averaging 17.2 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr., averaging 15 points, have also provided key roles for the team, but without Embiid they remain near the middle of the standings.

In the team’s last 10 games, they’ve gone 4-6 and have slowly fallen out of the top of the conference. Sitting four games ahead of the Chicago Bulls for eighth in the standings, the addition of Embiid will be a huge factor in the 76ers’ playoff push this month to get out of the 7-10 seeds forced into the NBA Play-In games.

Philadelphia currently has seven games left on its regular season schedule and will need to win as many as possible in order to make a deep playoff run. The team didn’t look like world-beaters with their star, but with the addition of Embiid and his almost impossible stat line this season, they need him to win the important games down the stretch. The Sixers play their next game on Tuesday night against the OKC Thunder, and Embiid might return for the first time in over two months for that game.

For the 76ers, every game this season now matters more than ever, and with Embiid returning from injury, they could make a run at just the right time.