Joel Embiid underwent an appendectomy in Houston last Thursday after the Philadelphia 76ers star developed appendicitis overnight, leaving his status for the first round of the NBA playoffs in question.

Philadelphia kept its season alive Tuesday by beating Orlando in the play-in tournament to advance to a first-round series against the Boston Celtics. Game 1 is set for Sunday, and the series would run through May 2 if it goes the full seven games.

The central question now is whether Embiid can return at any point during the opening round.

According to Pro Football Doc, the recovery timeline offers some reason for optimism, but not for an immediate full workload. The expectation is roughly a two-week recovery window, assuming the procedure was laparoscopic, and the issue was caught early. Even then, returning in two weeks would not mean Embiid is back to full strength.

That timeline leaves open the possibility of Embiid appearing later in the series if Philadelphia can extend it. Any return, however, would likely come with limited minutes rather than a normal workload. Pro Football Doc said Embiid could potentially play sometime in the first round if the 76ers are still alive, but a realistic return might look more like 12 to 15 minutes than a full game’s load.

For the 76ers, that makes the early games of the Celtics series especially important. Philadelphia may need to survive without its franchise center long enough to give him a chance to return, even in a reduced role.

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