Sixers express excitement about Joel Embid returning to the lineup
The Philadelphia 76ers finished their six-game road trip with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday and it meant a couple of things. The Sixers finally beat the Cavs, and they earned a 4-2 road trip.
They did so without the services of MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who continues his rehab from a bone bruise suffered on March 12. The good news is, he is expected to return on Saturday when the Sixers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves and the team will be relieved to have him back.
“I’m excited,” said veteran Dwight Howard. “I think when we add Joel back to the lineup, it’s going to be lights out. I think everybody’s shooting the ball well, second unit, we’re moving the ball, we’re finding our stride. The first unit has been great all year so adding Joel back, it’s just going to make us more dominant.”
Philadelphia went 7-3 in the 10 games the big fella missed, and it was an impressive stretch considering the circumstances. It is never easy to go out on the road and win ,and it is even tougher when a team is missing its best player.
“We wanted to also figure out kind of the identity, playing without him, and we had to do that for a period of time in those games,” said Tobias Harris. “I just thought, if you look at this road trip, you look at the games, there were a lot of guys who were able to step up with him being out. At the end of the day, we know as a team we have a style of play, we have a system, and it has worked all year.”
Another thing to consider is the truncated season causing stress on Embiid’s body. Philadelphia is able to have him ready and fresh for the stretch run and he can now work his way back in the MVP conversation after people have tried to knock him out of the race with these missed games.
“I think that was kind of a blessing for him to get some time off, to really heal his body, also kind of get that fire up under him knowing that this second half of the season is his time,” Howard added. “A lot of people kind of written him off in the MVP and stuff like that. I’m pretty sure he’s looking forward to getting back and being the most dominant center in the NBA right now so I can’t wait to see him on the court.”
Philadelphia lost its hold on the top spot in the East while Embiid was out; they fell half a game behind the Brooklyn Nets. But the fact they had so much success is good for the entire roster. Philadelphia can build off of this with the big fella back in the lineup.
“I thought that just really showed for us as a team, we need one another to be out there for each other and play,” Harris added. “This duration of time, I know how hard Joel was getting back and how much he puts into the game. One thing he said when he got out was ‘Just hold down the top spot for me’ and I said ‘I’ll do my best out there to hold down the top spot’.
We just got to keep on going, we get him back, we’ll continue to build our chemistry as a unit, and continue to just ride this thing out and that God-willing, stay healthy.”
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