The Philadelphia 76ers still don’t know how long they will be without Joel Embiid, but there is clearly some optimism that his absence could prove to be a very short one.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers said Friday that Embiid went through most of the day’s practice, and that the star center had at least a chance of playing Sunday in Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Rivers on Embiid: “He went through a lot of the stuff today.” No live stuff, he says, but wouldn’t rule him out for Sunday
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) June 4, 2021
Even if Embiid doesn’t end up playing Sunday, this has to qualify as encouraging news. It suggests that he’s getting fairly close to returning after suffering a small meniscus tear in Game 4 against Washington. So far, he’s only missed Game 5 of that series, which Philadelphia won without him.
Embiid will arguably be more important against the Hawks than he was against the Wizards. Where Washington lacked a quality center, Atlanta has Clint Capela, who Embiid is capable of neutralizing. Plus, Embiid’s presence takes some of the pressure off Ben Simmons.
