Doc Rivers Reveals Joel Embiid's Got More Work to do Before Return vs. Heat

Last week, the Philadelphia 76ers closed out their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors with a Game 6 blowout. Unfortunately for the Sixers, their win came with a steep price to pay.

As Sixers head coach Doc Rivers wanted to ensure his team maintained its dominant lead late in the game, he kept the star center Joel Embiid on the floor as the game reached garbage time.

Before Rivers could get Embiid off the floor, the big man took an elbow to the face, which cost him playing time moving forward in the postseason.

Embiid was diagnosed with an orbital fracture after Game 6 against the Raptors. In addition, he was also battling a mild concussion. As a result, Embiid wasn’t cleared to travel with the Sixers as they were set to begin their second-round series against the Miami Heat.

The superstar big man missed Philadelphia’s Game 1 matchup in Miami. The Sixers struggled to fill the void without him on the floor and took on a loss to open the series.

When the Heat and the Sixers had a rematch two nights later, Embiid remained in Philadelphia. Therefore, he once again missed the matchup, as initially expected.

The results were similar in Game 2. While the Sixers put up an admirable fight against the Heat without Embiid, they still couldn’t prevent a double-digit loss. 

Now, the Sixers are in an 0-2 hole as they head back home for Game 3. While Embiid isn’t cleared to return just yet, reports have hinted that the 76ers won’t rule out a potential Embiid sighting in Philadelphia when Game 3 ensues on Friday night.

There is hope that the Sixers could get Embiid back on Friday, but Doc Rivers made it clear that there are still obstacles to overcome following Philly’s Game 3 loss.

“I really don’t know, honestly,” said Rivers on Wednesday. “We talked yesterday, and we talked today on FaceTime. He looked good as far as talking, but there’s no — he’s got so many steps to go through. I don’t think he’s cleared any of them right now. So, we just have to wait and see.”

Getting Embiid back — even at less than one-hundred percent — would be a massive boost for the 76ers at this point. While the big man might not be back in time to help them in Game 3, the Sixers aren’t quite ready to rule out his return just yet. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.