76ers head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic that star center Joel Embiid will return to the lineup before the start of the postseason on April 16.
Embiid hasn’t played since he injured his knee in a loss to the Warriors on Jan. 30, and underwent surgery to address the lateral meniscus in his left knee a week later.
“I think there is a very good likelihood that he will return before the Play-In/Playoff,” Nurse said Wednesday prior to Philadelphia’s 108-107 loss to the Clippers at Wells Fargo Arena. “He’s out there working. He’s doing lots of skill work and things like that and just trying to continue to advance all that stuff.”
Nurse isn’t the only one feeling positive about Embiid’s impending return.
Embiid has been “moving well” and the Sixers expect to have him back for a few regular season games, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“I’m told it is not a question of if, but when,” Wojnarowski said of Embiid’s status on “NBA Countdown” Wednesday. “The belief is, with nine regular-season games left … that Joel Embiid can be back for a handful of those before the playoffs — whether that’s the play-in, whether the Sixers can move up a couple spots in the standings and get out of that play-in.”
The Sixers (39-34), currently in the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference, have nine games left in the regular season.
If the playoffs started Thursday, Philadelphia would be a play-in team fighting for a spot in the postseason.
The Sixers were 30-18 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference before the deadline on Feb 8.
Prior to his injury, Embiid was the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
The seven-time All-Star missed his 27th straight game in Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers — which ended in a blowup by Nurse due to a missed foul call on the Sixers’ final possession to try and win the game.
The Sixers did not specify the procedure or set a timetable for Embiid, who said he planned to return to the lineup during the regular season.
“That’s the plan,” Embiid said. “Obviously, everything has to go right as far as getting healthy and being as close as I’m supposed to be. But yeah, that’s the plan.”
The 76ers visit the Cavaliers (44-29) on Friday.
