‘The Process’ Joel Embiid is officially back in action! The reigning MVP returned from his torn meniscus on Tuesday, April 2nd, to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder, in his first game since the injury on January 30th. Embiid looked somewhat rusty in his 29 minutes, but still managed to put up solid number, with 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also came up clutch at the end of the game, knocking down a basket to tie the game, and key free throws to seal the victory. Since then, Embiid led the Sixers to another win on Thursday against the Miami Heat. In Miami, he had 29 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 33 minutes. Coming back from his knee surgery it will definitely take some time for Embiid to regain his MVP level form, but to lead the 76ers to two wins while showing flashes of how special he can be, should have Sixers fans excited about the postseason.
76ers Before and After the Injury
Heading into the January 30th game against the Warriors, in which Embiid got injured, the 76ers were the 3rd seed, having a record of 29-16, and looked like a major contender in the East. Embiid had played in 34 games averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. Since then, the Sixers have fallen to the 8th seed, going 11-19 since his injury. The MVP’s gravity on the court was also immensely valuable to his teammates, especially Tyrese Maxey. In the 34 games with Embiid, Maxey was averaging 26.1 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. These averages dipped to just 25.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game in the 32 games without Embiid. It is hard to overstate just how important Embiid returning is to Maxey's development and the 76ers as a whole.
Race for 6th seed
Avoiding the play-in game, and gaining the sixth seed is the top priority for the Sixers. The current standings have the Pacers, Heat and 76ers as the 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds, respectively. The Sixers are just 1 game back from the Heat for the 7th seed, and 1.5 games back from the Pacers for the 6th seed. The Sixers have just five games left, against the Grizzlies, Spurs, Pistons, Magic, and Nets, and probably need to win all of them if they want to catch the Pacers. If the playoffs started today, the 76ers would have to go to Miami in the April 16th play-in game for the 7th seed, and if they lost they would then face the winner of the Bulls and Hawks play-in game for the 8th seed in Philadelphia. Getting the sixth seed means Joel Embiid is awarded an extra 4 days of rest, as the playoffs starts on April 20th, instead of the 16th. The 76ers might need the sixth seed if they want to go far in the playoffs.
Playoff Opponents
Their possible playoff road can be added to the list of reasons why the Sixers need the sixth seed. The top five seeds in the East, in order, are the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and the Orlando Magic. The Celtics are the best team in the league, so avoiding them in the first round, by either getting the sixth seed, or winning the first game of the play-in tournament, is vital, as it’s unlikely they can beat the Celtics without a fully healthy Embiid. The Bucks are a different story, as they could easily repeat the end of last season where they lost to a play-in team. While they are one of the most talented teams in the league, led by superstars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, they have been struggling ever since Doc Rivers took over as head coach. They are only 15-16 under Rivers, including a 3-6 record in their last nine games. While it would be difficult, the Bucks are looking beatable right now, especially with perennial choke artist Doc Rivers leading them. As for the rest of the East, the Cavs are also 3-6 in their last 9 games, the Knicks just found out that Julius Randle will be out for the rest of the season, and the Magic are the 4th youngest team in the league. All of these teams outside of Boston can be beat by this 76ers team, so getting at least the 7th seed, would give them a real chance to make the Eastern Conference Finals. This would be the farthest they have made it in the playoffs since Allen Iverson’s 2001 finals run.
2024 Free Agency
The 76ers have just two players under contract next season, Joel Embiid and Paul Reed. They will also, almost definitely, retain restricted free agent Tyrese Maxey. With just these three around, the Sixers are destined to add a top free agent with their $58M in cap space, which is enough to sign any free agent. Luckily for the Sixers, this free agent class includes star players like Paul George and LeBron James. While it will be difficult to convince either player to leave their current Los Angeles residency, Joel Embiid battling back from this injury and winning a playoff series or two could be enough to convince them that they are the missing piece in Philadelphia. Watching Embiid and Maxey fight through adversity and dominate throughout the playoffs could be enough to bring The Chosen One to Philadelphia.
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