The unmistakable frame of Joel Embiid – now roughly 7’2″ tall, 265 pounds – has been spotted on basketball courts more frequently the past few weeks, whether it be at the 76ers’ training facility, or at The Center, where he’s taken part in recent pre-game warm-ups. The latest instance came Monday, following the Sixers’ practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. As has been the case so far, Embiid wasn’t involved in anything too strenuous, just some standstill shooting from a variety of distances. He also did cardio work.”He’s doing well,” Brett Brown said. “Just the basic stuff. It’s all centered around his health, and integrating, interacting with team.”The 21-year old Embiid underwent his second right foot operation in August. On the surface, he continues to carry himself with the same outgoing, humorous disposition that he displayed in his first season with the Sixers.
“He’s on a different schedule that is sort of recreated to keep his mood and spirit up,” explained Brown. “We don’t force him to be in front of us every second of his life. We love seeing him as much as we can.”
Embiid was loose on Monday, joking around with players and coaches alike. He seemed to be particularly pleased when, while standing at halfcourt with his back to the bucket, he sunk an over-the-shoulder shot. Brown has observed a key area of growth in Embiid, saying “Mentally, leaps and bounds. Let’s just start there. I just know that what I see, just a committed, hopeful athlete. He sees that he’s doing the right thing. He feels like he’s doing the right thing. He is doing the right things. And so, I just see somebody that’s got that edge where he wants to get going again. I think mentally, it’s night and day from talking to him at this time December of last year.”Embiid was the third overall selection of the 2014 NBA Draft. The Cameroon native averaged 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game during his freshman season at Kansas.
