PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at home as they look for more wins down the stretch.
The hope is Joel Embiid can return sooner rather than later. There was hope that he could return against the Thunder, but he is listed as out. He did not participate in the team shootaround on Tuesday morning.
Of course, his status can change before the 7:30 p.m. EDT tipoff with the Thunder, but for the moment, Embiid is out as he continues to recover from his left knee meniscus injury suffered in late January.
However, the Sixers have begun reintegrating Embiid into their sets on the floor and have begun having the new guys get acquainted with him.
“Man, with him being out there, there’s gonna be a lot of open shots,” smiled Cam Payne at shootaround. “That’s what I know. I know they’re gonna be sending a lot of doubles at him, so there’s a lot of opportunity out there, and even defensively, having that big body in there is a lot different.”
Joel Embiid did not participate in shootaround this morning.
Tyrese Maxey was a participant. #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) April 2, 2024
The Sixers are 14-27 on the season when Embiid doesn’t play. They need their superstar leader back on the floor, and it appears his return is coming soon.
“Having him in there is huge, but I mean, playing with him in pick up has been fun,” Payne added. “He’s gonna get a hit and you can hit him in the pocket. It’s like having another point guard out there and that’s huge to have out there.”
As for Tyrese Maxey, he participated in the shootaround on Tuesday morning. He missed Sunday’s win over the Toronto Raptors with left hip tightness and he is still listed as questionable for this contest with the Thunder.
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