NBA Rumors: MVP Joel Embiid to Return to 76ers to Play This Week amid Injury Rehab

The Philadelphia 76ers got some big news regarding defending MVP Joel Embiid on Monday.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the superstar big man is "nearing a return and expected to play this week." The Sixers have yet to finalize his status for Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It's been a rough year for Embiid, who missed all of February and March with a meniscus injury. Before the injury, the Sixers were an impressive 26-8 when Embiid played, and for the season he's averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three.

Those are the sort of numbers that would have won him a second straight MVP, though he won't come close to the required 65 games to be eligible for the award.

The hope was always that Embiid would be able to return for the postseason, though the Sixers (40-35) have floundered without him and may need to fight through the Play-In Tournament to even have a shot at the playoffs.

But Embiid makes them a scary team, both for the other Play-In teams and for the top seeds in the Eastern Conference. The superstar big man is arguably the best overall player in the East, and his partnership with Tyrese Maxey makes the Sixers a tough out.

Embiid has never made it past the second round, and expecting him to lead a deep postseason run after missing such a huge chunk of the regular season is a tall task. But at the very least, the Sixers now have hope.

Without him, the team is a lost cause.