76ers vs. Suns: Joel Embiid’s Playing Status on Monday

Will Joel Embiid make his return for the 76ers' matchup against the Suns on Monday?

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is set to make his return on Monday night against the Phoenix Suns after missing the team's last few games.

Embiid’s health concerns started last Monday when he went into the first Washington Wizards matchup questionable. According to the Sixers’ injury report, Embiid was dealing with a non-COVID illness. Later, Doc Rivers revealed the big man was battling with the flu.

Two nights later, Embiid missed his second-straight matchup for the same reason. Then on Friday, Embiid arrived at the Wells Fargo Center with the intention of possibly playing. After going through pregame warmups, the Sixers ruled Embiid out for the night as he wasn’t ready to return.

On Sunday afternoon, Embiid returned to Sixers practice. After the session, Doc Rivers offered a positive update on the big man, assuming that he had a 75 percent chance of playing on Monday against Phoenix.

“We actually did some live stuff,” Doc Rivers explained after Sunday’s practice. “We had an off day yesterday. We were able to do a little bit of live, which I think we should do more. I’m trying to get our scientists to understand that. So we did it anyway today. It was great for him, and now he’s doing some extra running, so it was good.”

When the Sixers participated in a Monday morning shootaround hours before going to the Wells Fargo Center to gear up for their matchup, Embiid was a full participant in the session. However, the Sixers still considered him questionable to return at the time. 

Fortunately for Philadelphia, the big man is set to make his return to face the Suns on Monday night. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.