It had been a long time since 76ers fans saw Joel Embiid on a basketball court. Longer still since the one-time NBA MVP looked dynamic, explosive and joyful there.
So Friday night’s 126-110 win over mostly reserves from the Minnesota Timberwolves was merely a 19-minute first step. But it was one that left the center, never bashful of showing his frustration, showing the opposite.
“I feel pretty good,” Embiid said. “Obviously this is mostly a learning process, getting back, seeing everything, obviously feeling good on the court. And then how the body reacts. We are going to learn as we go, as every game comes by. Let’s see how it feels tomorrow.”
The approach is still wait-and-see, day-by-day and whatever other hyphenate the 76ers concoct for Embiid’s oft-battered body. But this week had