The Philadelphia 76ers kept their hopes up when MVP Joel Embiid was temporarily shut down in February after incurring a left meniscus injury on January 30 in a 119-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Embiid's injury diminished their hopes for a title contention.
He underwent surgery and was listed as out for two months. He is supposed to return in mid-April or the last week of the regular season.
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The hopes are being fulfilled slowly but surely, as Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Embiid could return against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
"ESPN Sources: Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is nearing a return and expected to play this week. The reigning MVP has been out since January 30 with a left meniscus injury. His status for Tuesday vs. OKC is expected later today," Wojnarowski wrote on X.
Joel Embiid's injury timeline
The Sixers expressed optimism on February 27 that Embiid could be back sooner than expected.
A meniscus tear will take around two months for active individuals to fully heal after surgery.
The team is religiously following Embiid's recovery period, and by the third week of March, coach Nick Nurse provided more positive news about his star player's potential return, to the delight of Philly fans.
"He did see the doctor last week," Nurse revealed.
"They are happy with the progress. The whispers of him being on court, I believe are true, but I haven't seen any of it. We've been gone for a long time. Just got back yesterday and I haven't seen him."
Embiid has been joining the team's road game trips since last week, and the team's social media accounts have also started posting footage of the 2023 MVP dribbling and taking some shots pre-game.
While his return brings excitement and tremendous hope, they are still wary.
According to Wojnarowski, the team's goal is not to use Embiid to get back to winning ways.
His return will be all about getting him back in game form and healthy again so that they have him in top shape, whether they get an instant playoff seeding or a play-in spot.
Joel Embiid's return and their playoff hopes
Embiid was a frontrunner for the MVP award before he went down. He was the league leader in scoring with 35.3 points per game, posting 11.3 rebounds and a career-high 5.7 assists.
He elevated his game and made the Sixers among the top contenders for the 2024 NBA title.
Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris tried to keep their ship afloat. In his absence, the team went 11-18.
They were fifth in the East and are now in eighth place with a 40-35 record. With seven games to go, they are 3.5 games behind the sixth spot (occupied by the Indiana Pacers).
Getting to number six is achievable right now. Half of it depends on them, and the other half depends on the Pacers and the Miami Heat (who are in seventh spot and could potentially be their play-in matchup).
OKC, Miami, and the Orlando Magic are the only above .500 teams they will meet in their last seven. They should have no business losing to the Memphis Grizzlies, the San Antonio Spurs, the Detroit Pistons, and the Brooklyn Nets.
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