Star center Joel Embiid didn’t even have to play in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 109-97 victory over the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament to provide his team with a big boost.
Embiid, who is still recovering after undergoing an emergency appendectomy last week, was a surprise guest on Philadelphia’s bench during the game against Orlando, and his presence alone was a big boon for the team.
Joel Embiid uplifted Sixers with his presence during Play-In win vs. Magic
After the win, star guard Tyrese Maxey discussed how Embiid being there was uplifting for the team.
“Huge man, huge,” Maxey said of having Embiid there, via Sixers Wire. “Kyle (Lowry) called me two days ago. So, Monday, he called me. He said, ‘Man, what do you think about Joel coming to the game? Like, it’d just be a huge lift.’
“I’m, like ‘Yeah, if he can. If he’s up to it,’ and we didn’t need to ask him. I said, just, if he can, he will, and he was there. You know what I mean? I talked to him via phone, and I was surprised to see him there. I gave him a big hug. I was glad to see him and his spirits are high.”
Embiid surprised Sixers head coach Nick Nurse with his presence during a pregame film session.
“He was questionable whether he was going to be able to get here tonight because of some of the stuff they’re doing, but I didn’t even realize he was over there,” Nurse said of Embiid after Philadelphia’s win over Orlando.
“The film started, and I looked over and he was sitting in his seat and had a big smile on his face, and most of the other guys didn’t know he was there either. So, they asked him how he was. He said he feels good. He smiled. Some of the players said hello to him and all that kind of stuff. So it’s good to have him around.”
While simply having Embiid around is a positive for the Sixers, they would obviously prefer to have him available and out on the floor. Perhaps that will happen for Philly’s first-round matchup with the rival Boston Celtics.
No timeline for a potential return for Embiid has been provided by the Sixers, but there’s some speculation that he could try to return at some point during the first round.
Obviously, the big man’s availability will be a major storyline to monitor as the playoffs get underway.
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