After participating in parts of practice, a return for Joel Embiid is possible in Game 3.
Well, this is all moving quite fast now, isn’t it?
The Sixers released their injury report ahead of Game 3 as the first round series shifts to Philadelphia, and Joel Embiid wasn’t initially ruled out on it. He is listed as doubtful with post appendectomy surgery recovery. It’s truly remarkable that Embiid could play in a playoff game just 15 days after the emergency procedure back on April 9.
Word around Embiid started trending in a positive direction earlier in the day at practice. The team announced that he was a partial participant. Nick Nurse told reporters that he was “hopeful,” but didn’t know “how close” the big fella was to getting back on the court. The extended quote is below courtesy of Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
Embiid being able to take the court sooner than anyone expected would of course make that Game 2 win for the Sixers even bigger. The doubtful designation for most players means just that, but, for Embiid, it could be a pretty good sign he’s going to play.
It’s really hard to guess how Embiid would look if he is able to go, but just his presence in the starting lineup would obviously be an upgrade. He’s obviously not asked to carry any sort of scoring burden, but Adem Bona shooting 12% on his layups sums up how his series has gone for him pretty well.
Regardless, this would be an insane recovery if Embiid is able to come back about a week or two earlier than the typical recovery time from an appendectomy. It would go right to the top of the list up there with Bell’s palsy and a broken face in terms of insane injuries Embiid has pushed through to play in a playoff game.
Update: 4/24 5:13 p.m ET: Joel Embiid has been ruled out for Game 3, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. According to the report he has intensified his on-court work in order to get back on the court. Doctors are pleased with his progress but he’s yet to be cleared just yet.
In his pregame media availability, Nick Nurse said that Embiid has done some on-court work both individually and with the rest of the team, but he is “just not there yet.”
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