Well, well, well. It looks like we might finally be getting a glimpse of Joel Embiid in the NBA.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown spoke to the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show and mentioned that the center could finally be making a return to the basketball court.
Following transcribed by CBS Philly:
“I feel like he’s coming along tremendously,” Brown told Michael Barkann and Ike Reese. “I feel like, from a maturity standpoint and the reality of the professionalism that is required for him to be money and just perfect with the rehab, pre-hab, nutrition, all of that with his foot is ever present in Joel Embiid.”
“I think that he is all over the place, on track, to have just a solid first-year. There could be minute restrictions on his first-year where we start of the season slowly with him. But in general, I know he’s just so excited to get out there and play basketball again.”
Embiid has not played any basketball since being drafted two years ago. The former Kansas Jayhawk has dealt with foot injuries in his short career, leading many to believe he may never be able to play basketball at a high level.
Fortunately, it appears that Embiid is finally getting healthy enough to get back to basketball after spending so much time rehabbing overseas. It is also important to mention Brown’s quotes about Embiid’s maturity being just as ready for the NBA. After many rumors of Embiid not taking his rehab seriously, it is great to hear that he is all in on his recovery.
Brown also spent some time talking about Ben Simmons, a potential target of the Sixers in the draft. Brown, who will represent Philly at the draft lottery, spoke about knowing the presumptive top-two draft pick and coaching his father in Australia.
“I coached Ben Simmons’ father for five years in Australia in the late 80’s and I’ve known his family and dad his whole life,” Brown said. “And you look at his evolution, very ironic that he’s ended up where he’s ended up in this position.”
Simmons is billed by many as a “can’t miss” prospect, oftentimes getting comparisons to LeBron James both due to his ability and the hype surrounding him. He would be an interesting fit in Philadelphia with the abundance of non-shooting big men on the roster. With Embiid potentially coming back, however, the Sixers may be getting some clarity as to what their roster will look like in the future.
With or without Simmons, the team will likely look to trade at least one of the Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and Joel Embiid trio. With the team likely looking at doing that, it would not be out of the question to draft Simmons, if available, and build around the LSU Tiger.
The Sixers’ frontcourt is bound to get more crowded, anyway, as Brown reiterated that Dario Saric will probably join the team in the coming months as well. Speaking on the possibility that Saric could remain overseas, Brown had the following to say:
“I feel like that speculation that you’re talking about, it is real. It’s important to keep it nice and transparent. That is a possibility. I just, I don’t know, my gut feeling of progressive conversations that we have had, I believe without doubt he wants to come to the NBA. So only with time we will know, but I feel like that will happen in the next six to eight weeks.”
Saric is a power forward who was drafted along with Embiid in 2014. However, Saric has been playing in Turkey for the past two years and the 76ers have not had the chance to see what they have in the forward. However, it has been a long time coming that Saric would join the team soon, and as Brown says, the Sixers are expecting to have him along with Embiid next season.
This is a very interesting summer for the 76ers. Under new management, the team seems to be finally taking a big step towards contending once again. They are armed with potentially four first round picks and a bevy of assets and for the first time in a long time, it seems apparent that they will get something out of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. No matter what direction they go in the draft, and that direction may very well involve Ben Simmons, the Sixers are primed to take a big leap forward if they are smart in how they manage their assets.
