Nick Nurse Discusses Joel Embiid’s Injury Before Sixers vs. Hornets

Nick Nurse addresses the latest on Joel Embiid before the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Charlotte Hornets.

It’s been nearly two months since the Philadelphia 76ers had Joel Embiid in the lineup.

When the star center exited the team’s January 30 matchup against the Golden State Warriors prematurely, he was scheduled to undergo an MRI. After an MCL injury was revealed, Embiid decided to have a surgical procedure done to correct the issue.

The Sixers guaranteed Embiid’s absence would last four weeks at minimum. At that point, he would be re-evaluated, and the team would determine the next steps.

When he spoke publicly for the first time since his surgery, Embiid couldn’t confirm if a return this year was in the cards. Since the surgery occurred, Embiid and the Sixers remain optimistic about the star center’s chances of making his way back ahead of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Before the Sixers tipped off against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, head coach Nick Nurse expressed hope for an Embiid return once more. As far as updates go, he touched on the status of Embiid briefly.

“He did see the doctor last week,” Nurse noted. “They are happy with the progress.”

Lately, multiple reports have suggested that Embiid is back on the court, putting in some limited work as he remains out. Nurse couldn’t reveal much on that front beyond what was already reported.

“The whispers of him being on court, I believe are true,” he added. “I haven’t seen any of it. We’ve been gone for a long time. Just got back yesterday and I haven’t seen him.”

After missing Saturday’s game against Charlotte, Embiid missed 21 straight games for Philly at this point. That number is expected to expand as the team hasn’t determined a target date for a return just yet.