Two years after what ordinarily would have been his NBA debut and a little more than 2 ½ years after his last organized game, Joel Embiid played for the 76ers for the first time Tuesday as Philadelphia opened its exhibition schedule against the Celtics in Amherst, Mass.
Any encouraging signs from the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft would be big news for the 76ers, but especially in the days after the setback of learning Ben Simmons, the top choice in 2016, is out indefinitely following foot surgery. Based on his progress in one season at Kansas, Embiid could potentially have that much impact at 7-2.
Exhibition or not, Embiid did nothing to downplay the significance of finally getting in an NBA game after missing the previous two seasons with two surgeries on his right foot. The plan, coach Brett Brown previously said, was to limit Embiid to 12 minutes in Amherst.
