This late in the season, Joel Embiid‘s surprise return to the Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup has been one of the biggest tales. A three- to six-month recovery was anticipated for the reigning MVP who suffered an injury back in January. Coming back in less than two months, however, has sparked a great deal of conjecture as former Boston Celtics players Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett examine his circumstances in depth.
During a match on January 30 against the Golden State Warriors, Joel Embiid sustained a lateral meniscus injury to his left knee.
Embiid surprised everyone by starting for the 76ers against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that everyone had expected him to miss the rest of the season.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett spoke about Joel Embiid’s surprising return
Pierce and Kevin Garnett were old friends as they discussed the details of his early comeback on KG Certified, despite the fact that everyone was astonished. Paul began by discussing his thoughts on Embiid’s comeback. He said,
“He feel like they got a championship team. And they was showing that they was contenders they way he was playing. The question is can he get back to the way he was playing at the beginning of the season at an MVP rate…I don’t think there’s enough time left for him to get back to that level I think.”
After Pierce expressed his worries about Joel Embiid’s capacity to play at a 100% level again, Kevin Garnett added his own thoughts.
“But I just think that his carry is a heavy carry, bro. I know Maxey(Tyrese) takes a little pressure off of him, but not like he need it…Bro is rolling to the point where everybody on his back and if you know what I’m saying, ‘We roll with big fella.’ And I just thought that was a lot on him, bro.”
Paul Pierce concluded that, given the state of the Eastern Conference, the 76ers thought they had a shot to make it to the Conference Finals this year, which is why Embiid returned.
