Well, any news is good news after what we all witnessed Sunday afternoon.
After the Sixers were thoroughly beaten by the Celtics in Game 1 in Boston, it appears there is a glimmer of hope that Joel Embiid can return before the series ends.
The Sixers Monday announced that Embiid has started his strength and conditioning program.
Embiid is back in Philly and not with the team in Boston.
It’s hard to know what to make
of this as far as when Embiid could return to action.
Embiid underwent his emergency appendectomy on Thursday, April 9, so we’re 11 days post-surgery. Again, this feels like positive news that he’s even reached a stage where he can begin a strength and conditioning program — something he wouldn’t be doing unless there was a chance he could come back — but there are likely many more hurdles to clear and much will depend on how Embiid’s body responds.
Remember, you’re asking Embiid to play in NBA playoffs games against a great team when he’s been unable to do much physically for over a week. That’s an impossible ask. But if we’ve learned anything about Embiid in recent years, it’s that he’s going to push to play — sometimes to his own detriment.
Both Adem Bona, who got the starting nod, and Andre Drummond struggled mightily in Game 1. Both got in early foul trouble as well, only adding to the Sixers’ litany of issues. It’s painfully obvious that Embiid would help a great deal, but it’s hard to know what to expect when/if he comes back.
The Sixers will be without Embiid for Game 2 in Boston Tuesday night. Could he be available when the series goes to Philly for Game 3 on Friday night? It appears we’re back to playing the will he/won’t he game with Embiid yet again. To be honest, it’s comfortable territory at this point.
And it beats having to watch the version of the team we watched Sunday.
