Joel Embiid set to possibly return for Sixers next game

The Philadelphia 76ers' struggles without Joel Embiid in the lineup have caused a slide from one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference into the range of the Play-In Tournament. Those days of Embiid-less basketball might be over soon for Philly. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Joel Embiid is nearing a "comeback" from his left meniscus injury and that could come as soon as Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Without Embiid in the lineup, the Sixers have played below 0.500 with a record of 11-19. The squad was pacing themselves into a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference and was in the running for home-court advantage in the first round. Despite Tyrese Maxey trying his best, the Sixers have fallen into the play-in tournament. The Sixers are currently two teams and 2.5 games behind the sixth-seed Pacers.

With single digits left when it comes to games remaining, the Sixers have an easy-ish schedule — only three of their remaining seven games are against playoff/play-in contenders. This means that they could get themselves out of the play-in tournament

Can the Sixers get out of the Play-In Tournament with a possible Embiid return incoming?

To be quite honest, the Sixers are likely out of time when it comes to getting out of the Play-In Tournament. The Pacers don't have a hard schedule when it comes to their last couple of games. At best, the Sixers could try to get the seventh seed. This is quite possible as the Heat are only a game and a half ahead of Philly and are set to face off against them before the season ends.

While the Sixers might not get out of the Play-In round, the franchise can thank their lucky stars that Embiid is coming back way ahead of the tournament so that the team can adjust before having to play games that have season-ending consequences.