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Joel Embiid returned from his injury on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Embiid scored 24 points and added seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals following his two-month absence. The 76ers ultimately earned a 109-105 victory over a talented Thunder team.
However, the manner in which the 76ers revealed Embiid's return on the injury report could lead to an investigation from the NBA, according to Jared Greenberg of NBA on TNT.
“If I recall yesterday (Monday), early in the afternoon, news reports broke that Embiid could possibly return tonight (Tuesday),” Greenberg said ahead of Tuesday's game. “But then, that was followed just a few hours later with the team officially ruling him out for tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Of course, he's coming off of meniscus surgery on his left knee, as you mentioned, out since the end of January. But the most unusual twist that went on to get to this point of Embiid playing tonight, and I've spoken to several people around the NBA, current players, former players, and they all say they've never heard of something like this.
“Joel Embiid did not show up to shoot-around today, did not partake in the team's walk-through in preparation for tonight. Didn't even show up to the arena to get treatment from the training staff. So the team still had him ruled out up until around 5:30 Eastern when Embiid arrived to the arena and then he was upgraded to questionable… I've spoken to multiple people inside the NBA league office and we should expect some sort of investigation into how the Sixers handled the injury report going from out, out, out, to questionable, to playing in this short span of time. The league office certainly will take note of that.”
Joel Embiid is back, but investigation may emerge
It was an interesting situation over the past couple of days. Top NBA insiders reported that Embiid could return on Tuesday. Yet, as Greenberg mentioned, the 76ers star was initially listed as out on the NBA injury report.
This led to confusion. Embiid still seemingly had a chance to play but Philadelphia's injury report made the chances of him returning seem unlikely.
Of course, Embiid was ultimately upgraded to questionable on Tuesday. When that occurred, it seemed far more likely that he would indeed be ready to go. It isn't often that a player goes from out to questionable within the same day.
In the end, Embiid returned and the 76ers earned a huge win over the Thunder. Philadelphia is eighth in the Eastern Conference and the odds of them sneaking back into the top six spots are slim. The 76ers will likely need Embiid to lead them in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
But a potential investigation is expected to occur. Of course, any possible punishments from the league will be dependent upon the results of the investigation.
Embiid's impact on 76ers
The 76ers were among the top teams in the Eastern Conference before Joel Embiid suffered his injury. Embiid was also the favorite to win his second consecutive MVP.
Now, Philadelphia is probably in line for a play-in game and Embiid will not win the 2023-24 MVP award. Nevertheless, he can help Philadelphia upset some of the best teams in the East during the playoffs. The regular season is not over, so Embiid will have time to prepare for the postseason.
When healthy, Embiid is arguably the best player in the NBA. He's a versatile big man who contributes in multiple different ways on the floor. There is no perfect strategy for guarding Embiid.
Joel Embiid will look to finish the regular season on a positive note. Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor and provide updates on the NBA's potential investigation into the 76ers' injury report situation.
