76ers’ James Harden, Doc Rivers Offer Latest on Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to finally begin the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on Monday against the Boston Celtics.

Unfortunately, they could be shorthanded at the start of the series.

Following a practice session on Saturday afternoon, Doc Rivers revealed that the star center Joel Embiid is doubtful for Game 1.

Lately, Embiid’s been dealing with a knee injury. As the Sixers were on the path to defeating the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 during the first-round series, Embiid experienced pain and swelling in his knee.

An MRI revealed Embiid is dealing with a sprained knee, which kept him off the floor for the Sixers’ Game 4 victory against the Nets last Saturday.

Even with a week off between series, the Sixers aren’t entirely optimistic about Embiid’s status for the first game of the second-round series. Nothing about that changed on Sunday.

“He did a little bit more, not much. He didn’t do any running or anything like that,” Rivers said regarding Embiid. “He just did some shooting and stuff. He’s better… He’s progressing. There’s been optimism all along. You also got to be realistic. I just don’t know. He’s still doubtful, but he’s improving daily, and that’s good for us.”

Shortly after Rivers discussed the state of Embiid’s setback, the Sixers’ star guard James Harden addressed his co-star’s recent injury concerns after mentioning that he’s been communicating with Embiid “often” regarding the setback as of late.

“I mean, it's up to Joel,” said Harden. “It’s up to him when his body feels like he’s ready to come back. Or, if his body isn’t feeling one hundred percent, he’s still like, I’m going to go out there and hoop and try to figure it out.

"That’s all on him. I don’t think nobody in the world can have that mindset other than Joel Embiid. Obviously, we know the value that he brings to our team and what he's been doing all year long. So, I mean, when he's ready to come back and hoop, when he feels like he's ready, obviously, we’re waiting for him.”

When will the Sixers get Embiid back in the mix if he does, in fact, miss Game 1? With no timeline for return currently in place, the Sixers haven’t put a date on it just yet.

But for the players who are healthy, the show must still go on.

“Until then, we got to go out there and try to win a basketball game, one game at a time,” Harden finished. “So that's kind of our mindset as a team.”

The Sixers and the Celtics will tip off at 7:30 PM ET on Monday.