The Philadelphia 76ers are currently 39-32 and holding onto the eighth seed in the NBA Eastern Conference standings, but guard Tyrese Maxey likes their chances in the playoffs – assuming Joel Embiid is healthy:
“I think if we get healthy, we have a chance. We have this one guy on our team who is like 7’2. I think he can average like 40 points a game. He’s pretty good.”
Tyrese Maxey on Sixers teammate Joel Embiid 😂
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/ziIj0mM68C
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 25, 2024
Said Maxey on the 76ers' chances, “I think if we get healthy, we have a chance. We have this one guy on our team who is like 7’2. I think he can average like 40 points a game. He’s pretty good.”
Embiid's status
The 76ers continue to hope that Embiid will be able to make a return during the 2023-24 season. The reigning MVP is working toward it and making some progress in his recovery from his left meniscus injury.
76ers head coach Nick Nurse mentioned previously that Embiid did see a doctor recently and has done some work on the court during the 76ers' recent road trip. He told reporters that the big man participated in non-contact parts of the team's Sunday practice last week. While he still has no timetable for his return, it's a great sign that Embiid is able to do on-court workouts and lift weights.
Embiid's targeted return is rumored to be in April during the end of the regular season. The 76ers are hoping to hold onto a favorable spot in the standings so that the big man can reacclimate himself before the playoffs begin.
Tyrese Maxey's emergence kept team afloat
In his breakout season, Maxey has done all he can to keep the 76ers in playoff contention. Since Embiid went down at the end of January, Maxey has averaged nearly 26 points per game for Philadelphia.
The 76ers have gone 10-15 since Embiid's injury but, without Maxey, it's likely that the wheels would have completely fallen off. As long as the team manages to stay in the hunt, they'll be in prime position to do some damage once Embiid returns to the lineup.
The nightmare scenario for the 76ers is falling in the NBA Play-In tournament. They won't fall completely into the lottery, but could end up losing to the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, or even Atlanta Hawks if the cards fall a certain way. The team will be working to get up to a higher seed in order to dodge the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Philly sits only 3.5 games out of the fourth seed and four games behind the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Maxey is correct that they're a different team when Embiid, a perennial MVP candidate, is healthy. While he is tracking toward a regular season return, 76ers fans will be eagerly waiting for that day. Before going down with his torn meniscus, the Sixers star was averaging more than 35 points per game.
If the 76ers are able to get that production back, they can hang with anyone in the playoffs.
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