Joel Embiid made his presence felt on Saturday night’s Sixers game, but not with his on-court performance. Embiid threw on a Phantom of the Opera mask and kicked off the game by ringing the bell at halfcourt, then proceeded to sit on the bench in a suit as Philadelphia absolutely throttled Miami, 130-103.
It was a statement by the upstart Sixers, as the combination of Ben Simmons’ individual brilliance, a bevy of shooters who connected at a 64.3 percent clip from downtown, and some stifling second half defense were too much for the Heat to overcome. As it turns out, Philly might have the chance to add Embiid to that formula sometime soon.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne tweeted that she spoke to Embiid, who said he is trying to make his way onto the floor for either the second or third game of the series.
Joel Embiid said he thinks there's a "pretty good chance" he'll be able to play in Game 2 or 3. "If it was my decision I would play, but I can’t get back out on the court if I don’t have the OK from them," Embiid said. "But everything has been going well."
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 15, 2018
The current obstacle in Embiid’s way is his ability to show the he can withstand contact, which he hopes to remedy sooner rather than later.
Embiid said he's still gotta prove he can withstand contact in order to be cleared, but he's been ramping that up the last few days.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 15, 2018
There’s an interesting question to be debated regarding Embiid’s return, namely whether it’s worth trying to get him back right now. In his absence, Philadelphia has won 17 games in a row and has found a groove, one which has made it look like a major problem in the Eastern Conference. You can argue that it’s not worth messing with the formula the team has found works until they lose, especially because Embiid would conceivably throw said formula completely out of whack, and that Embiid should take his time until he’s 100 percent healthy.
Of course, you can just as easily argue that, you know, Embiid is a superstar and it never hurts to put superstars on the floor. Either way, Embiid wants to play, and if he has his way, he’s going to take the floor on Monday.
