Finally, an optimistic Joel Embiid update.
Sort of.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ superstud hasn’t played in a game since January after suffering a torn left meniscus, and he’s already been ruled out of the team’s first few preseason games. No one’s quite sure when he’s going to return, or how long he’ll be able to play once he does.
Heck, per The Athletic’s Derek Bodner, Embiid hasn’t yet started playing full-court 5-on-5:
Embiid once again did not play in full court 5-on-5. Did participate in half court 5-on-5. He will not play Wednesday or Friday. #sixers
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) October 3, 2017
Stick with me, though. I promise I didn’t bring you here just to bum y’all out.
Head coach Brett Brown isn’t worried about Embiid’s lack of progress, because, in fact, it seems he’s actually ahead of schedule, per the Philly Inquirer‘s Keith Pompey:
#Sixers coach Brett Brown on @JoelEmbiid: “We feel good about where he’s at right now. He’s doing more than I expected as a coach.” pic.twitter.com/ZSHA38wsYq
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 3, 2017
Feel free to holler or hoot or something similar out of sheer joy. The Sixers still stink at providing concrete injury updates, especially when it comes to Embiid, but Brown has little reason to sugarcoat these ambiguous updates.
Plus, according to Pompey, the seven-footer has been spotted playing tennis and jogging around Philly—activities in which he wouldn’t be engaging if there were real limitations on what he can do.
Keep your fingers crossed that Embiid will be ready to rock for opening night, even if he barely plays. We can’t say for certain after any of this that he’ll be good to go, or even close to it, but the possibility doesn’t appear as if it’s off the table, either.
And when it comes to outlooks on Sixers injuries, we’ll take what we can get, however we get it.
