Philadelphia 76ers fans may finally get to see Joel Embiid take the court.
Embiid, the third-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, missed the entire 2014–15 season because of a broken navicular bone in his foot. He then suffered a setback in his recovery after a CT scan revealed less healing than anticipated. A second surgery on his right foot on August 18, 2015 ended his second season, too.
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Now, 76ers head coach Brett Brown feels confident his center will be ready to play this upcoming season.
“I just left my third consecutive day working out with Joel 45 minutes ago,” Brown said on ESPN Radio. “Physically, mentally, recent medical scans, everything is pointing in the right direction. We’re just very excited.”
Brown also confirmed Embiid will play in Philadelphia's upcoming preseason games, which will begin October 4 against the Boston Celtics.
“There’s a real feel good mentality right now in our city. I think everybody’s starting to get excited,” Brown said. “Obviously, this is just one more phase, one more wave on how we build our program. But we have such fantastic young, talented pieces to try to put that puzzle together. Everybody’s excited here in Philadelphia.”