Saturday was a good day for injury news for a number of NBA teams. John Wall returned for the Washington Wizards after a two month absence following knee surgery. Golden State’s Klay Thompson is also in line to make his return on Saturday night, giving the Warriors one of their All-Stars back in the lineup.
Joel Embiid also had surgery on his orbital bone on Saturday, which at first doesn’t sound like great news for the Philadelphia 76ers. But the news that followed his surgery was important: A potential timetable for his eventual return. With the playoffs looming and uncertainty surrounding his broken orbital bone and concussion-like symptoms, there was fear that Embiid could miss a significant length of time.
But ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday afternoon that Embiid could return relatively soon following successful surgery on Saturday.
Embiid could return in two weeks, league sources tell ESPN. Much of his return date could be based upon pain threshold. Embiid will still need to be cleared by doctors to return. https://t.co/pJaKVhUP9x
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 31, 2018
It’s big news for Sixers fans, though a timetable is just an estimate. Wall’s initial timetable, for example, was six weeks at the most but he was out nearly a full two months. The postseason starts on April 14, so two weeks would put Embiid back right at the start of the postseason. That’s a timetable Sixers fans should be thrilled to hear.
One other thing to note is that few of these reports have dealt with — or cleared Embiid of — his concussion symptoms, and concussions take time, as they are something that can’t really be measured consistently from person to person. Everyone’s brains heal differently, but some optimism about his health is certainly welcome news for Sixers fans on a day where other teams get to celebrate the return of some big pieces.
