The Philadelphia media contingent met with Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey after the organization selected V.J. Edgecombe with the third pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft.
Not only did Morey discuss the draft, but he was also asked about the health of Sixers’ center Joel Embiid. Embiid was injured throughout last season after suffering a torn meniscus the previous year and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April. It was said he would be reevaluated in six weeks, but the team has been radio silent on the matter ever since.
In the media’s first opportunity to directly ask since then, Morey finally provided an update on the health of the former MVP.
“He’s very engaged, attacking rehab, doing everything, getting to be out there. He had a meeting with Dr Glashow this week. All things, to use the NASA term, nominal, all things are going well and expected. And we expect that to continue.”
Morey was also asked if Embiid would be ready for training camp. At this moment, he expects the center to be ready, though he made sure to keep his answer somewhat open-ended.
Joel Embiid is the key to Philadelphia’s success. How far the Sixers will go next season in a potential wide-open Eastern Conference will be solely based on his ability to get on the court. With the way the roster is constructed, they will need his rim protection and rebounding to help this team compete on a nightly basis. We should expect more updates as the summer moves on.
