76ers star Joel Embiid has started on-court workouts but is ‘not anywhere close’ to returning

Joel Embiid has been out ever since January 30 when he fell to an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee, and the Sixers have been suffering without him. Reports surfaced this week that the player is slowly recovering and has even started on-court workouts, but his return to the NBA courts is still far away. 

Insider Ramona Shelburne revealed that even though the reigning MVP is getting stronger and the team hopes to have him back before the end of regular season, she told ESPN that he’s “not anywhere close” to returning.

“He’s not anywhere close right now to coming back,” she revealed. “But he is able to get on the court and do some light work here. The hope that they have in Philly is that they can just stay in the mix for Joel Embiid to come back the last week or so of the season at least where he has a chance to get back some conditioning for the playoffs.”

Joel Embiid injury update: NBA insider reports grim timeline for 76ers MVP https://t.co/iMOMGVV6vP #NBA #Basketball

— Sports Worldwide (@Sportsworld0412) March 13, 2024

The Sixers continue to struggle offensively without their star big man, especially after Philadelphia’s loss to New York on Tuesday evening. The team shot only 37.5% from the field and 24.2% beyond the arc, similar to what they displayed on Sunday as they shot 38.8% from the field and 30% from three-pointers.

Coach Nick Nurse was upset with his squad’s effort at the start of the match and even called his first timeout with 10:21 remaining in the first quarter. “Their speed, they were moving faster than we were,” he said. “Their physicality, I thought on the ball, was a big difference on both ends.”

Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tyrese Maxey led their team offensively as they dropped 19 and 17 points respectively. However, it was the young guard’s first game after missing the previous four matches due to a concussion.

“I felt pretty good. I was definitely tired when I came out the first time, my wind,” Maxey said after playing 27 minutes. “It’s kind of difficult because only so much you can do while you’re in the protocol. But overall, it was all right.”

OG Anunoby returned to court after 18 games away and joined Josh Hart to lead the Knicks to victory

Josh Hart inspired New York to their 106-79 win against Philadelphia, as he dropped an impressive stat line this Tuesday night. The player had 20 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists to reach his fourth triple-double of the campaign, while OG Anunoby dropped 14 points in his return after 18 games apart.

“I think we played to our strengths,” Hart said, as teammate Jalen Brunson also contributed with 20 points and 9 assists. “I think we played faster. We took care of the ball. We rebounded the ball. We cut, we moved, we got good shots.”

Anunoby hadn’t played a single game since January 27, back when he injured his right elbow and even required surgery. Even though the team is still playing without Mitchell Robinson and All-Star Julius Randle, the Knicks have improved to 13-2 in games that Anunoby has played in.

“It felt great. It’s been a while,” the 26-year-old said after 29 minutes on court. “Missed playing here, missed the fans, missed my teammates.”