NBA Rumors: 76ers' Joel Embiid 'Not Anywhere Close' to Returning from Knee Injury

Philadelphia 76ers center and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who has been out since Jan. 30 with an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee, is reportedly "not anywhere close" to returning.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne provided the report on NBA Today (1:15 mark) but added that the 76ers have hope he can return before the end of the regular season.

"He's not anywhere close right now to coming back, but he is able to get on the court and do some light work here. The hope that they have in Philly is that they can just stay in the mix for Joel Embiid to come back the last week or so of the season at least where he has a chance to get back some conditioning for the playoffs."

Embiid averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 34 games before being sidelined.

Entering Tuesday, the 76ers owned a 36-28 record, good enough for sixth in the Eastern Conference. A spot in the play-in tournament at worst is all but guaranteed, but Philadelphia would certainly wish to finish top six and avoid that altogether.

That may be tough, as the 76ers are one of five teams from fourth to eighth who have between 35-37 wins. So there isn't much room for error right now without Embiid.

It's unfortunate to hear that Embiid will be out for more time, although there's clearly hope he could return before the playoffs. The regular season is set to end on April 14, with the play-in starting April 16. The playoffs begin on April 20.

In the meantime, the 76ers march on with Mo Bamba and Paul Reed down low. The good news is that All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey (26.0 PPG, 6.3 APG) has returned from a concussion, and that should provide the offense with a considerable lift.

That said, the 76ers need Embiid to have any chance at making a deep playoff run. At his best, he's an unstoppable force and easily capable of willing the 76ers to victory on any given night. We'll soon find out if he's healthy enough to return for the playoffs, but in the meantime, the 76ers continue their road trip with a matchup against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.