Joel Embiid could be returning to the Sixers lineup on Saturday night against Karl Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After suffering a bone bruise on March 12th against the Washington Wizards, the light is finally at the end of the tunnel for Joel Embiid. All signs are pointing to his return this Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Embiid’s return couldn’t come a moment sooner as the team has looked lost as of late without their star. Hopefully, he’s at full strength, and all concerns of his bone bruise are in the past. The Sixers will need Embiid if they’re going to make any sort of impact in the playoffs, so bringing him along slow will be clear, and against the last place Timberwolves, the team has a chance to do just that.
If Embiid does in-fact return Saturday, his campaign for the MVP award will immediately pick right back up. With the injury to LeBron James, the award seems to be between James Harden, Nikola Jokic, and Damian Lillard. If Embiid can come back strong and stay healthy, he might still have a shot to become the favorite for the reward yet again.
Embiid has been far and away the most impressive player in the league; it’s just a matter of playing enough games. Jokic, Lillard, Harden, and even LeBron James have played at least nine more games than Embiid. Nikola Jokic specifically has a perfect attendance record so far.
| Player | Percent of Games Played |
| Nikola Jokic | 100% |
| Damian Lillard | 96% |
| LeBron James | 87% |
| James Harden | 85% |
| Joel Embiid | 66% |
The Sixers star can miss few games, if any, from hereon-out if he’s going to force his way back in the discussion, but he can’t be ruled out quite yet. Embiid’s averages of 29.9 points, 11.5 rebounds with a slash line of 52.5/42.2/85.9 will keep him in the conversation as long as he continues to play.
