Philadelphia 76ers dealt another setback as they attempt to rebound from 1-5 start

With Joel Embiid set to serve a three-game suspenson, the Philadelphia 76ers can't seem to catch a break after a 1-5 start to the season.

After revamping their supporting cast around Joel Embiid during the offseason, many considered the Philadelphia 76ers to be one of the possible contenders in the Eastern Conference that could challenge the Boston Celtics. But since the start of training camp, the Sixers have seemingly been dealt setback after setback. It all started with the report that Embiid wouldn't be ready for the start of the pre-season and then the regular season. It continued with a late pre-season injury to Paul George.

Now, as it appeared as if Embiid was inching closer to his regular-season debut, the Sixers must overcome another hurdle. After an altercation in the locker room with a reporter, Embiid has been suspended for three games. That means, at the earliest, Embiid will make his regular-season debut for the Sixers next Tuesday against the New York Knicks. And that's if he's cleared to return to action by the team.

The Sixers did get a bit of good news a few days ago when PG returned from injury to make his regular-season debut, but the team has continued to leave much to be desired in terms of winning. Through the first six games of the season, the Sixers are 1-5 and are ranked 14th in the conference. Because of their slow start, the Sixers already find themselves five games back from the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. For a team that was hoping to enter the championship contention conversation, that's not ideal.

Will the return of Joel Embiid solve the team's issues?

But even as the Sixers eye the possibility of being back to full health in the next week, it begs the question as to whether the simple return of Embiid is going to solve all the team's issues. Quite frankly, it's impossible to answer that question. But if the Sixers are going to have any shot to rebound or dig themselves out of the early-season hole, they're going to need to get healthy, and quickly.

The Sixers have done zero favors for themselves since the start of training camp. It's almost as if everything that could've gone wrong for the team has. However, it's entirely way too early on in the season to completely lose all hope. But much of that hope does fall on the shoulders of a healthy Embiid.

When Embiid does eventually return, he'll have a lot of winning back to do for the fan base. It's been a less-than-ideal start to the season for the Sixers; I don't think anyone would argue with that. But even though the team has gotten off to a slow start, this is a team that has the talent to rebound in a big way. If the Sixers play to their ceiling, they can still emerge as a championship contender this season. It will just be that much harder with a smaller margin for error after the slow start.