After weeks of uncertainty around Joel Embiid's injury status and his ambiguous, indefinite "ramp up," the All-Star center was unceremoniously plugged into the Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup for a Sunday afternoon road matchup against the Chicago Bulls. With 90 percent of the hometown fans tuned into the Eagles game, Embiid made just his fifth start of the season.
The early results were extremely positive. After an 0-for-6 first quarter to knock off the rust, Embiid put together a truly vintage performance in the second quarter. He scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the second frame alone — nine minutes and 15 seconds of action. So, to be clear, Embiid put up 19 points in nine minutes while de-rusting and working his way back into game shape.
Normal stuff.
Joel Embiid's second quarter appears to be over:
9:15
19 points
8-12 from the field
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) December 8, 2024
This has always been the rub on Embiid. He's hurt a lot and the future is never certain, but when he's on, man is he on. There isn't a more dominant scorer in the NBA at full strength and Embiid, in his first game since Nov. 20, looked the part of an MVP and two-time scoring champ.
This is great news for the Sixers. The win is a bonus, but just getting a healthy and productive Embiid in the mix is a huge step in the right direction. He finished Sunday's win with 31 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks on 13-of-28 shooting.
That said, it's fair to wonder just how sustainable this all is.
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Embiid has been dealing with "left knee injury management" pretty much all season. It held him out of the opener — and eight straight games after that. Last time Embiid played, way back on Nov. 20, he scored 31 points and looked to be getting back on track. It was his third straight game played and there was optimism mounting in the fandom.
Naturally, he was ruled out for the next seven games, leading up to his much-anticipated return on Sunday.
Embiid looked absolutely great physically against Chicago. He just wasn't moving this well in his first four appearances this season.
Because I know nobody is watching it, Embiid looks much better physically in his return. Has 26 points with 8 minutes left in the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/4wAvDvgdVv
— Spike Eskin (@SpikeEskin) December 8, 2024
If this continues — and that is perhaps the largest 'if' of all time — the Sixers are in a great spot, just 4.5 games removed from the No. 6 seed in a weak Eastern Conference. Aside from Boston and Cleveland, there isn't a team that stacks up with a full-strength Sixers team on paper. Nick Nurse can coach a star-driven team as well as anyone in the league. Philadelphia still has a path back to title contention.
That path has never been murkier, though. A win over Chicago moves the Sixers to 7-15. Eight games below .500 is just not a good starting spot for an aspiring championship team. Not only will questions about Embiid's health hang over this team all season, but the Sixers need to contend with Paul George's lengthy injury history. George has already hurt his left knee twice this season. Tyrese Maxey also missed time with a hamstring ailment. The injury bug won't leave this team alone. It never has.
Embiid has already more or less said he won't play back-to-backs. With the Sixers' margin for error just about zero, it's unclear how sustainable Philadelphia's success is, even if Embiid stays healthy. This built-in rest plan is going to cost a lot of wins. All three of Philadelphia's stars fill invaluable archetypes. This team doesn't hold up well with any of its stars hurt, much less two at once, which has been their most common state all season.
It's great to see Embiid look so smooth on a basketball court, but one can't help but dread the future with this Sixers team.
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