Possibly the most impressive player of the preseason thus far has been Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
After missing what would have been his first two seasons with injuries, Embiid has burst onto the scene as he prepares for this season.
In six games this preseason, Embiid is averaging 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 14.1 minutes.
His play has been so encouraging that 76ers head coach Brett Brown thinks Embiid might be ready to play in back-to-backs sooner than later.
“That is still on the table in that we are considering it,” Brett Brown said Saturday before the Sixers hosted the Pistons. “To say it will happen, I can’t say that. But it’s certainly progressed from ‘no back-to-backs’ to ‘we are looking at it.’”
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“If this league is anything, it’s a recovery league,” Brown said. “How do you back it up? Eighty-two games, you’ve heard me say this a lot, isn’t for everybody. It catches completely off guard those young guys coming out of college and sometimes foreign players.
“What gives me confidence saying what I’ve said is how he recovers. He backs up the next day more than he doesn’t just fine. That’s the stuff that gives all of us tremendous encouragement and hope.”
This is the best news 76ers fans have gotten in a long time.
There was already some excitement around this season, more than with the past few years at least. The tanking process should be coming to an end soon and the return of Embiid along with No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons and some other young talented players was going to make this year a lot more fun. Simmons' injury has dampened that some, but Embiid's progress is now a bright spot.
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