All signs recently coming from within the 76ers organization have pointed towards Joel Embiid being fully healthy.
Saturday, the center provided some encouraging confirmation of his own.
“I’m 100 percent,” Embiid told a group of reporters at the Sixers’ 17th Annual Beach Bash, held at Jack’s Place in Avalon, NJ.
Embiid, who previously addressed the press in a formal setting in 2014, also reaffirmed remarks made last week by his head coach Brett Brown — that the towering 7’2” tall Kansas product intends to be on the floor when the Sixers open training camp the final week of September.
“I’m ready to get started,” he said.
In the four months that have passed since the Sixers’ regular season came to an end, Embiid’s workload has intensified. President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo said this past June that, at that point, the Kansas product had started to take part in “controlled, full-court activity.”
Several weeks later, Embiid linked up with the Sixers in Las Vegas, where he practiced in spurts with players on the summer league squad, and went through individual training and skill development sessions as well.
“My summer has been great,” said Embiid, who this off-season has spent time in both Philadelphia and Los Angeles. “We’ve been working on a lot. I’ve got a chance to play a little bit against the guys, so it’s been great.”
Only two members on the Sixers’ current roster – Nerlens Noel and Hollis Thompson – have been with the organization longer than Embiid, the third overall selection of the 2014 draft. That spring, he was projected by many analysts to be a potential number one pick.
The week before the draft, however, news broke that Embiid had sustained a stress fracture in his right foot. Ever since, he and the Sixers have been purposefully and creatively attempting to rehab and manage the injury.
“I haven’t played in two years, so…I think I’ll start a little slow,” Embiid allowed. This time last summer, the then-21 year old was only days removed from his second foot surgery, which, of course, subsequently sidelined him for the 2015-2016 campaign.
After being on the shelf for so long, watching his Sixers play from the bench, or from afar, Embiid expects to fit in well.
“I’m the type of guy, I love fast,” said Embiid, referencing the penchant that his head coach, Brett Brown, has for deploying a fast-paced system. “Once I get it, I’ll be pretty good.”
With the summer sun blazing, blue skies overhead, and hundreds of fans gathered on the Seven Mile Island to support the Sixers, Embiid’s words represented just the right fuel to stoke the growing excitement surrounding his team, to which he is finally on the verge of contributing.
