There was finally some positive news surrounding Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers that was announced on Tuesday. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team is “hopeful” that the injured big man will be able to return by late-March, in time for the final couple of weeks of the regular season and the push for the playoffs.

76ers Hopeful Embiid Will Return In Late March

REPORT: The 76ers remain hopeful that Joel Embiid can return by “late-March”, per @wojespn.

(via @ESPNNBA, h/t @ClutchPoints) pic.twitter.com/AaWtAoKRIa

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 27, 2024

But given how the 76ers have performed without Embiid, it is unclear exactly what position the team will be in when he is healthy enough to play.

When he was healthy and playing like the favorite to win the MVP award, Philadelphia was one of the top teams in the East. They got out to a 29-13 record through the first half of the season, and were battling with the Bucks and Celtics for the top spot in the Conference.

Things have gone downhill since January 22nd, though. The team promptly lost 8 of their next 9 games before picking up a couple of much-needed wins before the All-Star break, but the damage had been done in the standings. As of Tuesday, the 76ers have fallen all the way down to 5th place, and are in danger of falling out of the top-6 and into position to take part in the Play-In Tournament at the end of the regular season.

Philly Could Be Out Of Top-6 When Embiid Returns

.@stephenasmith doesn’t want to see the 76ers shut down Joel Embiid this season.

“If that brother can give me 15-20 minutes at 75 percent, I’m taking it.” pic.twitter.com/YA6GKwLiMC

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 27, 2024

If things don’t go correctly the rest of this week, they could find themselves all the way down in 8th place by Sunday. The Miami Heat have been surging lately, winners of 8 of their last 10 games, and are now within a single game of Philly in the standings. Just behind them, by mere percentage points, are the Indiana Pacers, and the Orlando Magic are just a half-game behind them.

The four teams are separated by a grand total of just a game and a half, meaning that we could see a serious shakeup in the middle.

The 76ers will face a tough test on Tuesday night as they take on the Celtics, but three of their subsequent four contests will be against some of the league’s worst teams. Around the time that Embiid is hopeful to return, Philadelphia will be on a four-game road trip, meaning that the home game against the Clippers on March 27th could be the target date.