Sixers’ Nick Nurse on Joel Embiid: ‘He wants to play, and we want him to play’

The 76ers are saying the right things. The question is when it turns into something real.

Coach Nick Nurse offered a hopeful update on Joel Embiid on Thursday, suggesting progress is being made as the Sixers star works his way back from an early-April appendectomy.

“He wants to play, and we want him to play,” Nurse said, via Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I don’t know how close we are to that at this point, but I think there’s some progress being made.”

That is about where things stand. Hopeful. Not definitive.

Nurse added the team could have a better idea later in the day, though he did not go into specifics. The Sixers also kept things light on the court, going through what was essentially a walkthrough. There was no real clarity on Embiid’s level of participation.

Still, there are signs of life.

Rookie VJ Edgecombe said it’s been “great to see him around,” adding he is more focused on checking in with Embiid as a person than asking about a return timeline.

Philadelphia just evened its series with the Celtics after their surprising Game 2 win in Boston. They did it without Embiid. That part cannot be ignored.

Edgecombe went off. Tyrese Maxey stayed steady. The Sixers flipped the tone of the series after getting run off the floor in Game 1.

Now comes the pivot point. Game 3 is Friday night in Philadelphia. The series is tied. The building will be ready.

Looming over everything is the same question. If Embiid is close, this changes. If he is not, the Sixers have already shown they are not going away quietly.

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