Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid could finally showcase his talents on an NBA basketball court in the upcoming preseason games after two years of being sidelined by injury, according to recent reports.
The 22-year-old Cameroonian big man was selected third overall by the Sixers in the 2014 NBA Draft even though he underwent surgery to repair the broken navicular bone in his right foot a week before the said draft. He was ruled out for four to six months then and Philly was perhaps gambling that he will heal on time to suit up for the team during the 2014-2015 regular season.
However, it did not go on according to plan as Embiid remained sidelined throughout the whole season.
Philadelphia tried to activate Embiid last summer, but it was found out that his recovery had suffered a setback after a CT scan revealed that his injury is still not completely healed. Embiid was then ruled out again for the 2015-2016 season after undergoing another operation on the same right foot in August of last year.
Things are looking hopeful this summer, though, as NBC Sports reported that the Sixers expect him to "be ready to go when preseason tips off in early October".
"I just left my third consecutive day working out with Joel 45 minutes ago," said head coach Brett Brown during an interview. "Physically, mentally, recent medical scans, everything is pointing in the right direction. We're just very excited."
When asked if Embiid will finally play and be seen in live action this preseason, Brown answered a confident "Yes, he is".
Sixers' assistant coach Lloyd Pierce also has some positive remarks on Embiid's current health status, saying that "we know he's healthy" and that the 7-foot, 250-pound big man is "in a great spot the past couple of months", as per the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"He's just trying to get in basketball conditioning, (work on his) basketball skills, and feel comfortable on the floor," Pierce added.
Coach Brown had always been bidding the Sixers' fans to "display some patience" in the healing of Embiid's right foot in the same way that the team had done in the past. At the moment, though, there is said to be "cause to be optimistic" that the young center's highly-anticipated NBA debut will finally take place this coming season.