Joel Embiid wants to return in 2023-24 season despite 76ers' record

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Joel Embiid wants to come back and play in the 2023-24 season regardless of the Philadelphia 76ers' record, he told reporters on Thursday.

Embiid, 29, is still trying to recover from the lateral meniscus injury in his left knee, which he suffered in the game against the Golden State Warriors on January 30. He hasn't made any appearance since then and kissed all regular season honors goodbye, including the MVP award and the All-NBA Teams selection, after missing more than 17 games.

"That's the plan," Embiid said. "Obviously everything has to go right, as far as getting healthy and being as close as I'm supposed to be. But yeah, that's the plan. I think when you look at what unfolded and what we saw, there was only one decision, and it was to go the route that I did."

Embiid averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game before the unfortunate injury happened. Simply speaking, he was playing one of the best offensive performances for any big man in league history. The 76ers were among top-four in the Eastern Conference back then.

Things took a bad turn for the team since Embiid couldn't play. They lost eight of their past 12 games and dropped to the fifth place in the East. The Orlando Magic behind them are very close with a much younger and healthier roster. The Indiana Pacers in the seventh place share the same record with the Magic. In other words, there is a good chance for the 76ers to fall into the play-in tournament zone when the regular season ends.

"That's why it was extremely disappointing," Embiid said. "Because I was on a roll and I felt like I wasn't even close to where I wanted to be, body-wise and basketball-wise, because I wasn't at my best, so I felt like there was still another level that I could go to. It was very disappointing. But I was having fun, playing, getting a lot of wins, dominating."

Embiid has never gone through the Eastern Conference semifinals since he began to play in the NBA in the 206-17 campaign (he was drafted in 2014). Five of his six postseason trips ended at the East semifinals and one in the first round.

"My mindset is playing basketball, playing as much as I can," Embiid told reporters. "For two months, I was not at 100 percent, I was not even close to it. And I just felt the need of giving my all to the team and just wanting to win. Because I know I can, you know, I can add that to this basketball team."