What if the 76ers are good now?

After suffering a 17-point loss against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 29, the Philadelphia 76ers fell to 7-24, securing their grasp on the league’s worst record at the time. Sitting 8.5 games behind the then-No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks, the playoffs looked like a pipe dream for Philly.

A week-and-a-half later, when the Sixers won their 10th game of the current campaign—matching their season total from a year ago—star rookie Joel Embiid proclaimed they had “a chance” to make the playoffs, a sentiment which was largely laughed off. Philadelphia had the league’s third-worst record, ahead of only the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat, and still sat 7.5 games out of a postseason berth. As SB Nation’s Kristian Winfield noted, the Sixers hadn’t beaten a plus .500 team all season, needed to go 30-16 over their final 46 games to reach .500 on the year and their recent success mostly came against bottom-feeders.

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Since that Dec. 29 loss against the Jazz, though, Philly has gone 8-3 in its past 11 games, including wins over the Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors. Prior to their loss against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, the Sixers had a better record in 2017 than all but three teams, according to the NBA on ESPN Twitter account:

Since the calendar flipped to 2017, two of the Sixers’ three losses come with an asterisk, as Joel Embiid sat out against the Hawks and the Washington Wizards. As ESPN Stats & Info’s Micah Adams relayed, they’re hardly an NBA-caliber team without the self-proclaimed “Process” in the lineup:

With No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons perhaps nearing his long-awaited debut—ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes reported he could suit up for the first time “shortly after the All-Star break”—a late surge up the Eastern Conference standings suddenly doesn’t seem so preposterous. Heading into Monday, the Sixers sit 5.5 games behind the eighth-place Chicago Bulls, who’ve been floundering as of late. The Bucks (losers of five straight), New York Knicks (3-13 since Christmas Day) and Orlando Magic (2-12 over their last 14 games) are all trending in the wrong direction as well.

Whether the Sixers can continue reeling off wins and challenge for a playoff spot will largely come down to Embiid’s health. The big man suffered a hyperextended left knee during Friday night’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Sixers have been scarce on details about the injury. According to CSNPhilly.com’s Jessica Camerato, Embiid expects to suit up in Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, but Sixers head coach Brett Brown wouldn’t go that far when speaking with reporters Saturday, only saying, “I don’t know” when asked about Embiid’s status for Tuesday.

Even if this injury scare proves insignificant and the Kansas product doesn’t miss any time, the Sixers still have nine remaining back-to-backs, including four before the All-Star break. Unless Philadelphia’s medical staff alters Embiid’s playing-time restrictions, he’ll thus be forced to miss at least nine of the Sixers’ final 40 games, which could prove detrimental in their quest for a playoff berth. If he endures any further injuries, it could send Philly back into the downward spiral with which it became closely acquainted over the past three-plus years.

There’s also no telling how team president Bryan Colangelo approaches the trade deadline. With Nerlens Noel headed toward restricted free agency and Jahlil Okafor looking less and less like a long-term piece of the Sixers’ puzzle, Colangelo could move one or both big men prior to Feb. 23. Doing so might be for the long-term betterment of the franchise, but the short-term ramifications—particularly if he deals Noel—could stymie the momentum the Sixers have built in recent weeks.

Even if the Sixers’ playoff bid falls short, though, things will continue to look up in Philadelphia so long as Embiid continues to dodge any serious injuries. The Sixers own their 2017 first-round pick, a top-three-protected first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers and the right to swap first-rounders with the Sacramento Kings if Sacramento falls in the top 10. Come June, they could feasibly add two top-six picks to a core already consisting of Embiid, Simmons and Dario Saric, giving them one of the league’s most formidable collections of young talent.

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It’s too early to crown the Sixers as the NBA’s next big thing—Milwaukee and Minnesota have that title cornered for now—but with good health and some lucky ping pong-ball bounces, the 2020s could be coming up Philadelphia.