The Philadelphia 76ers have an obvious goal to accomplish before the NBA playoffs.
The Philadelphia 76ers have finally received some positive news.
Paul George is returning from his 25-game suspension on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls while Joel Embiid has been upgraded to questionable for the matchup.
George's secondary scoring and defensive prowess have been greatly missed, so his return to action is huge for Philadelphia's playoff push. Embiid has missed the past 13 games due to a right oblique strain, but the hope is he'll come back versus the Bulls.
All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and forward Kelly Oubre Jr. remain out.
With all these injuries piled up, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Bleacher Report is naming the 76ers' goal down the stretch as "returning to full strength before the playoffs."
"Even though their playing time together has been limited, the Philadelphia 76ers have a good net rating of plus-6.1 (78th percentile, via Cleaning the Glass) with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George together this season," B/R's Greg Swartz wrote. "As messy as this season has been for the Sixers, a fully-loaded roster is a real possibility come April."
If the 76ers are able to get their roster healthy in the coming weeks, few teams will want to see them once the postseason rolls around. Even as the No. 7 or 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, they could pose a serious threat to the Detroit Pistons or Boston Celtics.
Philadelphia's roster is loaded with talent, but chemistry could become a major problem.
The Sixers' starting lineup of Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Oubre, George, and Embiid has rarely played together this season. Not to mention, Maxey and Embiid are returning from injury, so it could take them some time to ramp up.
Entering Wednesday's game against the Bulls, the 76ers are the No. 7 seed in the East with a record of 39-33. Given how much time their stars have missed this season, the team needs to do everything in their power to battle out of the Play-In Tournament.
Join The 76ersRoundtable Community
Head over to the 76ersRoundtable page and hit the "Join" button under the featured story... it's completely FREE! You'll have the opportunity to engage with other 76ers fans who live and breathe the team, share your thoughts on the organization, and more. If you're asked to sign up or download the Roundtable app... that's free too.
Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.