The Philadelphia 76ers are at their best when Joel Embiid is healthy and playing. But that’s just not the case for them at the moment, with the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player on the shelf after going under the knife to repair a knee issue
Nick Nurse Provides Great Update On Philadelphia 76ers Star Joel Embiid
But it does seem that there is good progress concerning Embiid’s recovery process. 76ers head coach Nick Nurse reiterated to reporters on Wednesday that Philadelphia is optimistic about Embiid’s chances to come back and play soon. Nurse also delivered an encouraging update on the Sixers big man, who last saw action back in late January.
“We have always said that we hope he’s going to get back to play. He is on the court. I don’t want to say daily, but almost every day now, where he’s on the court doing basketball things, Nurse said.
“All the checkups have been positive and we’re just trying to, he’s kind of in the ramp-up phase now, like what can he handle, when can he start having contact, and when can he start playing one-on-one and when can he start playing. And, you know, five on five, when can you go through practice with contact, and then we’ll be really close.”
With Embiid out, it’s been harder for the Sixers to win consistently. Despite missing a ton of games, Embiid is still leading Philadelphia in win shares (6.8) and VORP (4.1), though Tyrese Maxey is doing an admirable job of keeping it together for the 76ers, who are currently eight in the Eastern Conference standings with a 38-31 record.
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