Sixers Get Positive Joel Embiid Injury Update Ahead of Game 2 vs. Celtics

With Joel Embiid still recovering from the surprise appendectomy he underwent earlier this month, the Sixers got boatraced by the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their first-round series, 123-91.

Embiid isn't expected to make his triumphant return Tuesday in Game 2. But he is seemingly getting closer to his return, as the Sixers announced Monday that Embiid has "begun a strength and conditioning program in Philly as part of his recovery from his appendectomy."

From the looks of things, Embiid had a special assistant helping him out Sunday.

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— Legs (@legsanity) April 20, 2026

The Sixers did not release an expected timeline for Embiid's return. Game 3 is Friday in Philly, and there'll be a game every other day from that point forward.

Realistically, the series might be over before Embiid has a chance to return. According to injury expert Jeff Stotts, NBA players have missed an average of 23 days since 2005-06 after undergoing an in-season appendectomy.

Embiid underwent his on April 9. Game 6 (if necessary) is on April 30. That'd be exactly 21 days from his surgery.

The Sixers can only hope that Embiid beats the odds and returns sooner. The Celtics' Game 1 beatdown suggests they're otherwise drawing dead in this series.

Would Embiid's return save the Sixers?

The Sixers' centers were ghastly in Embiid's absence in Game 1 against the Celtics.

Adem Bona drew the start, but he finished with only three points, three rebounds and three personal fouls in 14 minutes. Andre Drummond wasn't much better off the bench with two points, five rebounds, two assists, three turnovers and three fouls in 21 minutes.

Head coach Nick Nurse briefly tried out Dominick Barlow at the 5, which might be a curveball worth revisiting if Bona and Drummond continue to struggle. They largely held their own on the glass—they only lost the rebounding battle by three—although the amount of garbage time obscures the meaningfulness of certain statistics from that game. (To wit: Justin Edwards pulled down six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.)

The bigger issue was the shooting discrepancy. The Celtics hit nearly as many threes (16) as the Sixers attempted (23).

As we warned going into the series, the Celtics are one of the highest-volume three-point shooting teams in the league, while the Sixers ranked among the bottom third of the NBA in threes made, threes attempted and three-point percentage. If they can't narrow the gap between them and the Celtics shooting-wise, even prime Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Shaquille O'Neal might not be enough to help them overcome that math deficit.

Embiid's return would at least help take some pressure off Tyrese Maxey, who finished Game 1 with 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting and eight assists. But unless Embiid can also somehow heal the pinky finger that Maxey injured late in the year, he won't single-handedly help transform Maxey back into the All-NBA player who took the league by storm this year.

Realistically, the Sixers are likely to head back to Philadelphia in a 2-0 series deficit. If Embiid can somehow return by Game 3 or Game 4, he might help the Sixers steal a game or two from the Celtics. But asking them to win four of five—including two in Boston—is too tall of a task to realistically expect.

If nothing else, Embiid's return could help the Sixers gain some clarity about how far away they are from the Celtics and legitimate championship contention. That could help them as they get going on their offseason planning.

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Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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