It’s proving to be a slow, challenging climb back up the Eastern Conference standings, but the Philadelphia 76ers and superstar Joel Embiid are attempting it. Embiid is doing all he can with his limited strength to lead his team and fight for wins. With the 76ers one spot out of the play-in, at 20-32, they have no choice but to keep fighting to win as many games as they can to achieve what franchise owner Josh Harris believes they can do: make a playoff run.
76ers Owner Confident In Playoff Run Despite Laboring Superstar
76ers Superstar Joel Embiid Slowly Helping Team Back Up the Standings
The East got off to a real slow and sluggish start to begin this 2024-25 campaign. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and reigning champions, Boston Celtics, started with the crack of the pistol, while the rest of the conference lagged behind. What was surprising was the handful of teams who fell victim to the slow start. The Indiana Pacers, for one, were in the conference finals last season and underperformed much of this season until recently. The Milwaukee Bucks and 76ers also failed to put together good starts. The Miami Heat and New York Knicks stayed in theme. Since those early months, the Bucks, Pacers, and Knicks have turned their seasons around. While sitting at .500, the Heat are surprisingly in a playoff spot. But the Sixers—well, they have much ground to make.
The Sixers are trying to replicate what several conference adversaries have already accomplished. They started from the bottom; now they here, you could say. Philly’s potential success this season after acquiring Paul George in the summer has unquestionably been hampered by Embiid’s knee issues. Only playing in 16 games to date, Embiid has been in and out of the lineup. When he is playing, he’s been rather spectacular despite playing with an obvious injury. In Philly’s last game, a loss to Milwaukee, Embiid poured in 27 points and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes. It’s rather remarkable how well he’s playing and how hard he’s pushing through the discomfort. Sixers owner Harris remains supportive of his big man and is even sticking to the belief that his team can make a playoff run despite Embiid’s knee.
‘Joel Is A Warrior’, Proclaims Josh Harris
Pushing to the playoffs will depend solely on Embiid’s availability. Harris’s confidence is bold. That said, it’s not impossible for the Sixers to make a push and at least land in a play-in scenario when the regular season ends. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Harris acknowledged Embiid’s tumultuous season but showed faith in his squad.
“Listen, we got Joel [Embiid healthy]. When Joel, Tyrese [Maxey], and Paul [George] are all on the court, we are a great team. So we got to keep everyone healthy. In particular, Joel is a warrior. I know he’s fighting through some stuff, and I’m really optimistic that we are going to make a playoff run now.”
Having Tyrese Maxey is a massive advantage for the Sixers. Even with Embiid healthy, they are far from playoff contention without Maxey. He and Paul George also had injuries to deal with this year. However, both players are healthy now. So, is there a true playoff run in the Sixers? How long can Embiid go on his compromised knee? Time will tell, but given the general quality of play in the East, I guess the Sixers shouldn’t be totally counted out just yet.
© Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The post 76ers Owner Confident In Playoff Run Despite Laboring Superstar appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.