Much of the focus for the Philadelphia 76ers heading into the 2017-18 campaign has been on the health of rising star big man Joel Embiid.
Embiid has spent the entire summer working his way back from a meniscus tear that required surgery back in March. However, he still has some major steps to take in his recovery as head coach Brett Brown recently told Tom Moore of The Intelligencer that Embiid has yet to participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages.
#Sixers Brett Brown says Joel Embiid has 'yet to play 5-on-5' and doesn't know when that will happen. pic.twitter.com/cpgPjBTTy4
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) September 20, 2017
The 23-year-old has been able to work on drills on the court, but has yet to take part in any contact drills this offseason. It has been a progressive recovery for Embiid with eyes still on him being ready in time to start the season that begins in mid-October. Training camp around the league is set to start next week with the preseason taking place not long after that.
It's not surprising to see the 76ers take the precautionary route with Embiid given his importance to their future as one of the core pieces to the puzzle. He has had a well-documented history with injuries and the team can ill-afford to have him suffer any setbacks that would delay his return to the court.
Prior to suffering the knee injury, Embiid was playing at a high level in limited action averaging a team-best 20.2 points along with 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 25.4 minutes per contest in only 31 games played.
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