The Philadelphia 76ers have finally started to get healthy as a team. Paul George has returned from his 25-game suspension, which means all three of their top stars are healthy. Joel Embiid has also returned to play in the last three games.
Embiid has only played in 36 games so far this season. Early in the year, he once again struggled with knee issues. Those issues kept him off the court and also kept him from playing back-to-backs. Now, he has returned for the stretch run of the regular season.
An NBA reporter listed Embiid as out for Wednesday night’s game against the Wizards. He fired back, claiming he would be playing in that game.
Joel Embiid Disputes 76ers Reporter’s Injury Report
Embiid took to social media to dispute a report from Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. Carlin claimed that Embiid would not play against the Wizards due to an illness. Embiid fired back, saying that must have been an April Fool’s joke.
It’s clear that Embiid wants to play in as many games as he can at the end of the season to gear up for the postseason. Right now, the Sixers sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. They are just a game back from sixth, which would get them out of the play-in.
Embiid has to make sure that he can be healthy enough to play every game in the playoffs. He clearly doesn’t want an illness to stop him, as the team gears up for the postseason. Right now, the 76ers have the 16th-best offense in the league.
Fans have criticized Embiid for being too injured. Despite winning an MVP award, he has struggled to stay on the court for the majority of his career. He has missed more games than he has played in his career to this point, which is a point of contention.
The Sixers Need Joel Embiid at His Best
If Philly is going to have any chance of making the playoffs, and making a deep run, they need Embiid at his best. When he is fully healthy, he is one of the most skilled big men in the NBA. He just hasn’t been healthy very many times in his career.
Defensively, the 76ers have the 17th-best defense. Again, most of that has been because of the injuries to Embiid and the suspension of George. With both players back, the defense should be much better. In fact, they might have one of the best defenses in the Eastern Conference.
Philly needs to make sure Embiid doesn’t push himself too hard so that he can’t last in the playoffs. That is the biggest problem they face with the postseason getting ready to start in a few weeks. The Sixers are one of the scariest teams in the East when their stars are all healthy.
All of Embiid’s scoring and shooting stats are up from last year. He just has to stay on the court for the team to benefit from that increased scoring in the next few weeks.
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