With George and perhaps Embiid coming back, Sixers getting closer to fully healthy

Shootarounds during an NBA season are usually quite mundane. They last for close to an hour, with walk-throughs on game-plans, reiteration of defensive assignments, some play against a scout team and then some one-on-one drills. Media is let in about 10-15 minutes before it all ends to talk with players and coaches, if the team allows. And that's about it. Ho-hum.

Wednesday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, it seemed just a bit different. Not with a "beginning of the school year" excitement or anything like that, but there did appear to be an uptick in the atmosphere, and you can understand why. On the floor was center Joel Embiid, who has missed the previous 13 games with an oblique strain that he suffered back on Feb. 26. At the other end was Paul George, who will play Wednesday against the visiting Chicago Bulls for the first time in 25 games due to his anti-drug suspension.

Embiid drained foul shot after foul shot, showing the form that has made him one of the premier scorers in the league, while George worked on hard stop and gos before rising for mid-range jumpers. Both appeared fluid and ready to go, though Embiid was listed as questionable leading up to game time.

The team kept its head above water while George served his punishment, building a 13-12 record without him and then a plethora of other players who suffered injuries and sickness. The also were an admirable 6-7 over the past 13 games while Embiid recovered. Now, push comes to shove as the Sixers find themselves in the seventh spot mired in a fight among five other teams who find themselves within two and a half games of each other.

"As soon as he gets on the floor," said Trendon Watford on how George will make a difference. "We all know who he is. He was playing well before the whole situation. We're glad to have him back. Another body that we need. We know what he can do on the court. It will be fun to have him back."

And what about Embiid?

"We are just glad to have everybody, not everybody, but whoever we can get back tonight," Watford said. "Joe's still questionable but whoever we can get back tonight we're glad to have them back. Whether it's P, whether it's P and Joe. Whether it's P, Joe and Q (Quentin Grimes), we are just glad to have them all back. We've been down bodies."

No question. Grimes missed the last game with an illness. Still sidelined are Tyreese Maxey, who will have the injured tendon in his pinky evaluated this week, and Kelly Oubre Jr., whose injured ligament in his left elbow will also be checked in the next couple of days. 

It is that time of the year where playoff pushes are made, scoreboards are watched and healthy lineups are a must. Everyone throughout the league knows it and the Sixers appear on the precipice of perhaps getting close to full health.

"We know how big these last ten games are, every game counts," said Watford. "It's that time now (for watching scoreboard). We're in seventh and can get all the way up to fifth. We're just trying to keep winning, win every game from here on out, put our best foot forward and whatever happens, happens."

Soon, they may have a lot more feet to put forward.