MIAMI — Joel Embiid has started his return-to-play process.
The 76ers center is sidelined in the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Miami Heat with an orbital fracture near his right eye and a concussion. He’s not expected to return until Games 3 or 4 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Aside from the fracture, Embiid has to clear concussion protocol in order to play.
“I know he did something yesterday, but not much,” Doc Rivers said after Tuesday’s media availability. “And I know he’s feeling a lot better. I don’t want to give false hope either. So I’ll just stop there.”
Typically, a player has to be symptom free for 24 hours to begin the process to return to play.
The process involves several steps: from riding a stationary bike at an elevated heart rate, to running on a treadmill, to on-court individual drills to a team workout. A neurological examination is performed after each step, and the player must be symptom free to move to the next step.
There’s no clear return timeline from concussion protocol because of the symptom-free requirement. But the timetable could be four days after becoming symptom free, if there’s no setback.
Embiid must also get cleared by a doctor to play with his fracture. He’s meeting with a specialist this week. But there’s some optimism that he’ll be able to play when the series heads back to Philly for Games 3 on Friday or 4 on Sunday.
The Sixers suffered a 106-92 loss Monday night at FTX Arena in Game 1. The team will play Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Embiid received the fracture and concussion when he received an elbow from Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam Thursday in the Sixers’ 132-97 Game 6 victory, which clinched the series.
