76ers’ Nurse: Joel Embiid Has ‘Very Good’ Chance to Return from Knee Injury in April

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVMarch 27, 2024

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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Wednesday there’s a “very good” chance that superstar center Joel Embiid will return at some point in April before the regular season concludes, which would bolster the team’s playoff aspirations.

He did add that there’s no timetable for Embiid to return from the knee injury that has sidelined him since he last played on Jan. 30.

Nurse also noted that he’s hopeful both De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington can return before the end of the regular season on April 14, though while Covington has been “making some progress,” Melton is “not as close yet.”

Austin Krell @NBAKrellNick Nurse’s full comments on where Joel Embiid, Robert Covington, and De’Anthony Melton stand.

Nurse later said he thinks Kelly Oubre Jr. is OK to play tonight but he will go through his pregame workout to determine availability. pic.twitter.com/XxMsF97ejU

Embiid is obviously the big-ticket item here, though, and the Sixers are a far weaker team without him.

Philly is 26-8 with the 30-year-old in the lineup this season and 13-25 without him. The Sixers (39-33) have dropped to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, putting them on track to start the postseason in the play-in tournament. Escaping that would likely lead to a first-round series against the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks.

When healthy, Embiid appeared to be on track to win a second straight MVP, averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three. He’ll fall well short of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for the MVP award, however.

But the bigger prize is an NBA championship, and a healthy Embiid would at least give the Sixers a fighting chance.

“I think that we’ve got to see ourselves with Joel as a really good team, like a really good team,” Nurse told reporters on Monday. “Like, we can play every night with anybody. We proved it. … I keep saying, we got to pick some of these off [with Embiid out].”

Granted, giving him some ramp-up before the postseason would be ideal. Returning immediately to a playoff environment after such a lengthy layoff is a big ask.

But the Sixers are a mediocre team at best when he doesn’t play and a potential contender when he does. If he’s able to return, some hope will be restored in South Philly.