Sources – Sixers’ Joel Embiid could return as soon as Tuesday

The return of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is imminent and could come as soon as Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Embiid, who has been out since Jan. 30, has been delivering the final preparations for his return from left meniscus surgery, ramping up his conditioning in recent days to rejoin the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

The 76ers are 40-35 and eighth in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining. The Sixers play the Thunder on Tuesday, the Miami Heat on Thursday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, has been leading the NBA in scoring with 35.3 points a game and was on course to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player to average at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a season. He’s also the only player aside from Chamberlain in 1961-62 to average at least one point per minute played.

Embiid has played 34 games this season. To qualify for the league scoring title, a player must participate in 70% of the team’s games. The Dallas Mavericks‘ Luka Doncic currently leads the NBA with 34.0 points per game.