Embiid progressing, decision on Summer League coming

Just three games stand between the Sixers and what figures to be as eventful an offseason as any in recent memory. The team will enter the 2015 NBA Draft with anywhere between six and nine picks, they will again enter free agency with as much flexibility as any team in the league, and Joel Embiid will draw ever closer to his inevitable debut.

On Wednesday, Sixers head coach Brett Brown provided some clarity on the final item on that agenda, talking about the team’s plans for the talented, young center in the coming months.

This week, the seven-footer was cleared for two-on-two drills, and soon Brown hopes he’ll be able to go three-on-three. The goal is to get Embiid to a point where he’s fully comfortable running the floor in scrimmage situations before Summer League play begins in early July.

“You see so much more when [he is eventually cleared for full-court drills],” Brown said. “When we get to that level, then we are really cooking and a hell of a lot closer than we are today to making better assessments and projecting him out as it relates to summer league.”

But while Embiid has been limited to controlled halfcourt activity, Brown and his players can tell that the rookie big man is special.

“Sometimes you sit and watch somebody and say 'He's pretty good’… But Joel, when he's out there dribbling the ball and shooting threes, I think you're just kind of in awe, like, 'Am I a step behind?,’” said point guard Ish Smith, noting that Embiid only began playing basketball five years ago. “He's so far ahead of the curve. He's doing things that I'm working on and learning now."

Assuming the Cameroonian volleyball-convert suits up for the Sixers at Summer League, it’s unlikely he’ll do so alongside future frontcourt-mate Nerlens Noel. The redshirt rookie has led the Sixers in minutes played this season, averaging 30.8 a night through 75 games, and Coach Brown wants to give the defensive stalwart as much time to recuperate as possible as he prepares for the 2015-16 season

“I see Nerlens coming in and practicing with that team,” Brown said. “He will invest a hell of a lot of time this summer with Joel, just not in [a summer league] environment.”

The two may have to wait to play alongside one another in game action, but when that day finally comes the wait will have been worth it.

“I see a bright future. I think Joel is a dynamic player… He’s going to bring a lot to the table,” said Noel when asked about Embiid. “He takes up a lot of space. He is always going to draw attention. His shooting ability is definitely there. He practices shooting the three. I don't know how much he will be doing that, but just having that ability is going to open up a lot of things."

Reporters and fans alike have seen glimpses of Embiid’s massive potential through his pregame workouts and are understandably excited about his future. But perhaps nobody knows more about the enigmatic big man than Brett Brown, who spent a decade coaching one of the all-time greats in Tim Duncan, and his words should perhaps be an even greater reason for optimism.

“When you see glimpses of his skill package, you can't help but say, 'Wow.' Just like we saw when we saw him play at Kansas. [He’s] a two-way player, and you're just seeing hints of some of the great players and all wrapped up into somebody that hasn't played basketball in a really long time,” Brown said.

“When Joel got injured [during pre-draft workouts], and I thought there was a chance that he could fall to us, I just got really excited. I think that his upside is what everyone else thinks it is – it's big."