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PHILADELPHIA — On media day, as training camp was about to start for the Philadelphia 76ers, star center Joel Embiid told reporters there would be no timetable for his return from an April knee surgery that capped a difficult year for the big man.
On Friday night, as the 76ers are preparing for their preseason finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Embiid is officially back.
He will start as the Sixers finish their final dress rehearsal and prepare for their regular season opener next Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics. Embiid’s presence in the lineup caps what has been an optimistic training camp, one where Embiid has made significant strides in the health department.
Embiid has practiced with the Sixers consistently during camp. He participated last Sunday in Philadelphia’s intrasquad scrimmage. He has participated in live scrimmage action consistently. He hasn’t had a real setback, as the Sixers have been able to work in scheduled off days for extra rest and recovery.
Now that he is in the lineup, the focus turns to what Embiid looks like. How is he running? How well can he move laterally? What kind of vertical explosion can his left knee sustain? How many consecutive minutes can he play? And how long into the game can he play, on the aggregate?
What has been talked about regarding last season is Embiid playing just 19 games. What hasn’t been talked about nearly enough is how far from vintage Embiid he looked in those 19 games. The Sixers don’t just need his presence on the floor if they are to compete in the Eastern Conference. They need Embiid, the superstar, for as many games as he can muster. The skill is there. That can’t ever be questioned. Will the body cooperate, though? That’s the question.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after Thursday’s practice that he wants to play his regular rotation as many minutes as possible. This is for a few reasons. The full rotation has yet to be together in the preseason, as the Sixers have had to mix and match lineups due to injury. And, the Sixers have only had four preseason games. They looked jumbled for the most part against the New York Knicks in a double-dip in Abu Dhabi. They looked much better against the Orlando Magic, but in that game were missing over half the rotation.
They are still missing Paul George and Jared McCain. But, this is as close to healthy as they are going to get leading into the opener. So, Nurse wants to take advantage of bodies being available and see what he has.
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Tony Jones is a Staff Writer at The Athletic covering the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA. A native of the East Coast and a journalism brat as a child, he has an addiction to hip-hop music and pickup basketball, and his Twitter page has been used for occasional debates concerning Biggie and Tupac. Follow Tony on Twitter @Tjonesonthenba