The Philadelphia 76ers put on one of their most embarrassing efforts this season in Game 4, falling victim to a 323-point beatdown at the hands of the Boston Celtics. What made it worse is that they finally got Joel Embiid back for that contest, yet their opponents remain unfazed –– if not unimpressed –– en route to one of the most impressive wins by a team in these playoffs thus far.
Embiid returned from his recovery from an appendectomy procedure, which was actually quite early given the usual timeline for it. But when asked about his journey back to action in the hardwood, the superstar laid bare a revelation that hints at him going through more than what people thought of. He himself stated that there were complications after his surgery, but decided him and the team decided that he was good to go anyway.
There is a thick cloud cast over what that actually means, but it seems like Embiid was not really supposed to be back this early. Well, he did make his return not only earlier than expected, but also despite getting profiled as being doubtful to return in Game 4. Did the 76ers rush him back? It is not outside the realm of possibility at this point.
The 76ers might have rushed Joel Embiid back into action
Embiid was not in his most efficient state in Game 4, but he did not look rusty. In 34 minutes of game play, he poured in 26 points while racking up 10 boards and dishing six assists. He certainly made a big difference for the 76ers on the offensive end –– it just absolutely sucked that the others (not named Tyrese Maxey or Paul George) decided to lay down eggs all over the floor.
Still, before Game 4 even tipped off, there were numerous concerns about the 76ers having possibly rushed Embiid back into action. For one, before Game 4, Philly still looked like it had another viable shot at upending Boston to knot the series up at 2-2. Hindsight is 20/20, but in the end, getting him back did not matter for both teams in their recent outing.
Hopefully, the unspecified complications that Embiid brought up do not persist as points of concern. The 76ers have already become much more conservative and cautious in their approach to his recovery and conditioning, and the last thing they would want is to undo their body of work by not protecting the player from himself.
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