Joel Embiid returned to action on Tuesday night after recovering from a knee injury, which kept him out for eight weeks, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Cameroonian finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and three steals, shooting 100 percent from the free throw line and 6-of-14 from the field.
that was fun. 😁 @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/GQY7Ebmm4y
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 3, 2024
However, the reigning NBA MVP, who suffered the injury on January 31 in the Sixers’ 119-107 defeat at the Golden State Warriors, said that his time on the sidelines was “mentally” tough and “depressing.”.
“This is not a good one,” he said when asked about the injury. “Usually when I have injuries, I just tell myself, ‘Move it, get better and then fix it.’
“But this one took a toll mentally. I’ve been depressed. It was not a good one. Still not where I’m supposed to be, especially mentally. But I just love to play.”
24 PTS | 7 ASTS | 6 REBS | 3 STLS
welcome back, Joel!
presented by @PALottery pic.twitter.com/vSmLMFY7NW
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 3, 2024
Furthermore, when asked about why this particular injury was different, he said: “I don’t know. For some reason, this injury was… It was just disappointing. It was depressing.
“Yeah, it was. Took me awhile to get over it and I still haven’t gotten over it. So I take it day by day, look at the positives. I’m back. Hopefully every single day I try to get better and get back to myself.”
Philadelphia, eighth in the Eastern Conference, lost 18 of the 30 games Embiid missed over the last two months, which forced them to drop out of the automatic playoff spots and into the play-in positions.
The 30-year-old is currently averaging 35.0 points per game in 33.9 minutes of action across 35 games this season.
