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Former Sixers Fan Favorite Reacts to Joel Embiid's Return

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley offered his thoughts on Joel Embiid's return.

Justin Grasso

Nov 25, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) talks to
Nov 25, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) talks to / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
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Just before the playoffs get underway, the Philadelphia 76ers got some major reinforcements. After being sidelined since January 30th with a knee injury, Joel Embiid has made his return to action.

The reigning MVP took the floor for the first time in two months on Tuesday against the OKC Thunder. He had an all-around performance, finishing with 24 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Embiid followed that up by notching 29 points in a crucial win over the Miami Heat on Thursday.

As one of the top stars in the NBA today, Embiid’s return has created a lot of buzz around the league. Among those to talk about him being back in the lineup is former Sixers guard Patrick Beverley. While on his podcast, the veteran point guard shared his thoughts on the team’s situation.

Beverley admits that the Sixers are one of the league’s top teams when Embiid is healthy, but they are going into uncharted territory. Unlike the teams around them in the standings, Philly has yet to make their way through the play-in tournament.

“Having Joel any [expletive] game, you’re one of the top team teams having him healthy,” Beverley said. “It’s just one game. It’s like March Madness, anything can happen.”

If the season ended today, the Sixers would play the Heat in the 7 vs. 8 matchup of the play-in. However, there is still time for them to climb in the standings. With a few games to go on the schedule, the Sixers trail the sixth-place Indiana Pacers by one-and-a-half games.

Beverley has played in 22 games for the Milwaukee Bucks since the Sixers traded him at the deadline. In that time, he is posting averages of 5.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 2.3 APG.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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