When it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers, Danny Green sees a team that has a shot at making a run out of the Eastern Conference.
However, being a former Sixer, Green knows well just how fast things can change for the team, as their success tends to revolve around the health of Joel Embiid.
“Right now, I'm very optimistic, but they have to play this right,” Green recently stated. “I think Philly could be a sleeper in the East if he's playing like this, and [Embiid] stays well. For some odd reason, I feel like there's always something that happens to him right before the playoffs.”
Green thought back to his days with the Sixers, when Embiid suffered setbacks amid postseason runs, where the Sixers were favored to get over the hump. In 2021, Embiid suffered a knee injury during the first round. He played in recovery, as the Sixers lost Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks in round two.
During the following postseason run, Embiid suffered a facial injury, which affected his health in the second round for the second-straight season.
“If you look at the history, broken nose, face. I was playing with him. He broke his nose in Toronto, we went to Miami first two games, we had to play without him, or as a finger, or something like that,” Green explained. The Sixers lost 4-2 against the Heat that year.
“I want to see him play like some good, heavy minutes in March, but toward the end of March, April, I feel like you got to kind of just like keep him fresh,” Green suggested.
Lately, the 76ers have been ramping up Embiid’s minutes. While he gets a game off every now and then, he’s managed to see the court for over 30 minutes in every appearance since the start of 2026. During the Sixers’ January 22 overtime thriller against the Houston Rockets, Embiid logged 45 minutes. He managed to play in 36 minutes in the following game.
Clearly, Embiid is healthy enough to find consistent playing time for the Sixers at this point, but there is still a lot to prove on Embiid’s end from an availability standpoint. If Embiid can stick around, Green believes the Sixers have a real shot at a possible title run.
More NBA:
- Lakers trade prediction reunites Luka Doncic with $8.7 million ex-Mavericks teammate, emerging star
- Knicks unlikely to trade Karl-Anthony Towns, but are listening to offers
- Cavaliers predicted to reunite with $101 million franchise legend via massive three-team trade