Joel Embiid unlikely to be ready for Game 1 of playoffs

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If you're thinking Joel Embiid could be available for Game 1 of the playoffs, don't get your hopes up.

As a guest Tuesday on the Mike Missanelli Show on 97.5 The Fanatic, Brett Brown said there's a "less than 50 percent chance" the Sixers' big man will be able to play when the NBA playoffs open.

"I do not think that. I don't think anybody thinks that," Brown said when asked if Embiid could be ready for Game 1. "I think it's just trying to get him with the ball in his hands — touch a ball. At some point soon really focus on the cardio side of it all. All of those things that will equal him playing an incredibly physical, fast playoff game. Right now we're starting to make inroads but I think it would be misleading to suggest that he could play in Game 1."

Embiid suffered a concussion and a fractured orbital bone around his left eye that required surgery when he collided with Markelle Fultz on March 28 vs. the Knicks. He's missed the last seven games — the team has gone 7-0 in his absence — and just started rehab earlier this week. 

When pressed by Missanelli on when we can expect to see Embiid make his postseason debut, Brown was unable to commit to a timeline.

"I really don't know," Brown said. "We do stuff slowly. He wakes up, we judge how he's done, we move on. In relation to stamping off on a target date, we really aren't in a position to do that. I do feel confident to tell you and the public that Game 1 is highly unlikely."

For the season, Embiid played in 63 games, averaging 22.9 points, 11 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 30.3 minutes per game.

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