76ers 'happy' with Joel Embiid's progress on rehabbing knee

PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid has been reevaluated by doctors and they are "happy with the progress" the 76ers center is making following meniscus surgery on his left knee, Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse said Saturday.

"I think there's always stages of how these things progress," Nurse said before the Sixers' 109-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets. "Everyone wants to know 'Well how long is it going to be?" And they give a wide range because of that, because everyone heals differently. We're just trying to take it as it comes, get him healthy and get him back when he's ready to go."

Asked if he believes that Embiid will be back with the team before the playoffs, Nurse was cautious.

"I'm still hoping so and pretty confident, yes," the coach said.

Embiid's status has been a source of speculation after an expected team medical update four weeks after the Feb. 6 surgery never came. Embiid said on Feb. 29 that he believed that he would be back for the playoffs, but the team's silence on the matter had created some questions about where the rehab process was.

Embiid, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday, has missed 21 games since tearing the meniscus against Golden State on Jan. 30. In the time since, Philadelphia has fallen from third in the Eastern Conference to eighth, going 8-13 in the 21 games without the 2022-23 NBA MVP

Embiid was spotted greeting teammates on the court after Philadelphia's 109-98 win over Charlotte on Saturday night, but was not in the team's locker room when reporters were allowed in after the game.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.