Eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery, Joel Embiid, the big player for the Philadelphia 76ers, claimed that his recent injury “took a toll mentally.”
The reigning MVP led the 76ers to a crucial 109-105 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, with 24 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in his first game back.
With Embiid out, the Sixers’ season has taken a severe turn for the worse. With Embiid in the lineup, the squad is at 27-8 on the season; without him, it is just 14-27.
Sixers have missed Joel Embiid a lot
The 76ers are currently two games behind the Indiana Pacers in the sixth and final automatic playoff place as the team attempts to escape the Play-In Tournament. This is after the team dropped from fifth to eighth in the Eastern Conference following Embiid’s surgery.
In eighth place, Philly is likewise two games behind the Miami Heat. Embiid said,
“Usually, when I have injuries, I just tell myself, move on to the next one, get better, and then fix it, but this one took a toll mentally, being depressed,”
“It was not a good one.
Before his injury, Embiid was leading the race to reclaim the MVP award and was scoring over 35 points per game. However, because he hasn’t played 65 games this season, he is no longer eligible for the NBA’s end-of-season awards. The Sixers won thanks to a game-high 25 points from Kelly Oubre Jr., while the Thunder were led by 22 points from Chet Holmgren.