After crushing the Brooklyn Nets in four straight games to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs, the biggest concern for the Philadelphia 76ers moving forward is the status of NBA MVP favorite Joel Embiid.
The 76ers were fortunate enough to sweep the Nets to give the team more time to get Embiid back to full strength in order to take on the Boston Celtics or Atlanta Hawks in the next round.
However, Embiid’s status for Game 1 of their next playoff series remains up in the air, but according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, there’s optimism that one of the league’s best big men will be ready for Game 1.
“There is optimism that he’ll be able to play in Game 1 of their next series… He had a sprained knee and I think they believed this is about a 1 week injury”@ShamsCharania with the latest on Joel Embiid’s injury #RunItBack #BrotherlyLove pic.twitter.com/MfdRDrBa6l
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) April 24, 2023
Unlike in the series with the Nets, the 76ers will need to be at full strength to hope to compete with the Celtics in the second round, presuming they beat the Hawks in their first-round series.
Embiid is having arguably his best season in the NBA right now and is crucial to the team’s success moving forward.
Of course, the 76ers do have superstar guard James Harden to shoulder the load along with rising star Tyrese Maxey, but it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia getting the best of Boston in a seven-game series without a healthy Embiid making an impact on both ends of the floor.
Fortunately, Doc Rivers and company do have some time to get their superstar center healthy and ready to go for Game 1, especially if the Hawks keep giving the Celtics a run for their money.
NEXT:
Doc Rivers Gives Concerning Injury Update On Joel Embiid
