Joel Embiid maintaining Sixers presence — even while he physically cannot be on floor

Joel Embiid recently had a nearly hour-long conversation with Tobias Harris, an attempt by the reigning MVP to help pull his 76ers teammate out of his “rough patch” since returning from the All-Star break.

In his first public comments after knee surgery in early February, Embiid said Thursday that he remained hopeful that he will return to the court this season. In the meantime, however, that time spent with Harris is an example of how he hopes to make an intangible impact while rehabbing.

“What I’ve learned, being around, is my presence helps a lot,” Embiid said following the Sixers’ practice in Camden. “… as much as I can be around, that’s what I’m always going to do.”

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid expects to rejoin the Sixers this season: ‘That’s the plan’

Embiid acknowledged the Sixers’ struggles in his nearly month-long absence. They are 4-12 since Jan. 22, sliding from third place to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 33-25 record on Friday morning — only one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic in seventh place (34-26). The Pacers have clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Sixers, but the Sixers hold that advantage over the Magic.

The primary reason for the downturn is the loss of Embiid’s historically dominant production this season on both ends of the floor: an NBA-best (and career-high) 35.3 points per game, to go along with 11.3 rebounds, a career-best 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game.

Yet first-year coach Nick Nurse and longtime teammates have also lauded the way Embiid has progressed as a leader, primarily by example.

All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey recognized the times that Embiid would unexpectedly join the guards for their post-practice shooting competitions.

And the effort with which Embiid attacked shootarounds, Nurse said, allowed the team to simulate game-plan elements, such as defensive coverages, better than at previous coaching stops.

“If he’s bringing it every night,” reserve center Mo Bamba added, “then you ain’t got no choice [but] to bring it, as well.”

Right now, though, Embiid cannot physically provide that jolt to teammates. What he can offer are his words, his basketball acumen, and his spirit whenever he breaks away from an individualized recovery program that Nurse described as a “pretty heavy schedule.”

Embiid and Nurse still regularly chat one-on-one. Bamba added that Embiid has dropped rebounding hints and has asked questions about the Sixers’ tweaked schemes without him on the floor. Embiid also continues to study around-the-league matchups nightly, in the same way his phone was regularly locked to his hands while icing his feet in the Sixers’ postgame locker room.

He also was back on the bench Sunday when when the Sixers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Additionally, the big man expressed excitement with how the Sixers revamped their roster around the trade deadline.

He sees Buddy Hield’s potential to space the floor as a long-range shooter. He values veteran guard Kyle Lowry’s championship experience and that, “basketball-wise, he’s still really freaking good.”

Those additions — which also include reserve guard Cameron Payne — occurred with the eventual return of Embiid in mind, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said the day after the trade deadline.

“I told Coach after the first three games [once those teammates joined], ‘Man, I wish I was playing,’ ” Embiid said. " … I thought [the front office] did as good of a job as they could have done, based on what was happening.”

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A formal public update on Embiid’s health is scheduled for next week, though he said Thursday that he has not yet progressed to any on-court work. Instead, the rest requirement has brought rare in-season downtime with his family, quipping that his 3-year-old son, Arthur, “doesn’t want me to leave the house anymore.”

Traveling with the team on road trips is currently tricky, Embiid conceded, because of the need to prioritize his rehab schedule.

But he wants to remain a presence around the Sixers, even while he physically cannot be on the floor.

Because of the confidence he again expressed in himself — and in his team.

“They’re fighting through everything,” Embiid said. “And they need to keep fighting to make sure that we keep winning. … Whenever I come back, we were playing at a high level, especially when we had everybody healthy.

“I believe that we still got a good chance.”