Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey shared a positive outlook on Friday regarding the potential return of NBA MVP Joel Embiid from a knee injury in time for the playoffs.
“We’re hopeful,” Morey said three days following Embiid’s left knee surgery. “Feedback has been more good than bad since we first heard about what led to his procedure. So, we’re hopeful, and we’re building the team to make it better this year. Obviously, it’s not at 100 percent. But with Joel playing at an MVP level, hopefully, he could get back to that. And this is a year that we have a real shot.”
When questioned if Embiid’s injury would alter the team’s strategy, Morey emphasized the importance of maintaining hope for Embiid’s recovery.
“If the hope wasn’t there in Joel, I think it would have changed things dramatically,” Morey said. “We’re very hopeful. Obviously, it’s not 100 percent. It’s something that is probably, unfortunately, a good chunk short of 100 percent. But we thought it was the right thing.
Highlighting the challenges of securing an NBA title, Morey acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Embiid’s comeback but stressed the importance of taking risks to remain competitive.
“There’s a lot of ways to not win the title,” Morey said. “Winning a title is hard; Joel not coming back at the level we hope is one of the ways we can’t win a title this year, most likely. … But you always want to be among the best teams, and that means taking risk on the injury front and that’s where we are at right now.”
Embiid, with an impressive average of 35.3 points and 11.3 rebounds over 39 games, has been sidelined for the last five games due to a meniscus injury caused during a match against Golden State. The 76ers announced a re-evaluation period of four weeks following his surgery. Despite efforts to find a suitable replacement for Embiid, Morey could not secure a deal for a new center, expressing surprise at the lack of big men available before the trade deadline.
“Our priority was to get a big, but we wanted to add to our playoff rotation this year,” Morey said.
Instead, the 76ers added Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne through trades that saw the departure of several players, aiming to bolster their playoff lineup. Hield, in particular, is expected to enhance the team’s three-point shooting capabilities, supporting All-Star Tyrese Maxey in Embiid’s absence.
“We have to win games, and it’s going to be a battle,” Morey said. “But we were focused on playoffs; we have a rotation that we know can win at a super high level, and that he was the only player who moved teams that would play a big role in our rotation. What he brings to the table is pretty obvious.”
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