How Did Joel Embiid Look in Return to Philadelphia 76ers Lineup?

How did Joel Embiid look against the Hornets?

Dec 20, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on after the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

On Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Charlotte Hornets, looking to build on their win against the same side on Monday night.

While the storylines going into the match could've been surrounding Philadelphia's recent uptick in their win count, it was rather focussed on the availiability of former MVP Joel Embiid, who had been made active earlier on Friday.

The questions surrounding Embiid's availability came after the sinus injury he suffered against the Indiana Pacers earlier on in the month, with the initial timetable seeing him miss a week.

When the superstar took to the court against the Hornets, he was seen donning a mask similar to the one he had worn in the past when he suffered other facial injuries. Another familiar accessory worn by the former MVP was a brace on his left knee, which he has started to become accustomed to wearing over the previous few seasons.

phantom of the process. 🎭 pic.twitter.com/CauOEWn0x0

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 21, 2024

Despite missing the Sixers' match on Monday night, Embiid got right back to work against the Hornets, dropping eight points in the first quarter alone, which included a make from beyond the arch.

One part of the former MVP's approach against the Hornets that stood out was his lack of aggression at some points, sitting at the top of the key with the ball rather than getting low under the basket during some drives.

Almost caused by this lack of interior presence, Embiid struggled on the glass, failing to record a single rebound until the fourth quarter, where he'd grab five.

While it may just be a part of Nick Nurse's offensive schemes against the Hornets, it did allow Embiid to direct traffic for his teammates, allowing them to focus on scoring, with the Cameroonian setting up five assists in the first half alone.

The second half went fairly similar to the first half for the 30-year-old adding another 24 points to his scoring tally, which helped Philadelphia edge out Charlotte, 108-98.

All things considered, it appears that Embiid has been able to not allow the sinus fracture to interrupt his gameplay or more importantly his confidence, attempting 24 shots while finding his way to the free throw line for nine shots.