Brett Brown says Joel Embiid should be ready for preseason

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Frustrated watching all of Joel Embiid's workout videos without actually seeing the big man competing against other NBA players? Sixers coach Brett Brown knows how you feel.

"Him dunking on a little workout coach ain't getting it done anymore," Brown said during a wide-ranging discussion with ESPN's Zach Lowe on "The Lowe Post" podcast

Brown also had some encouraging news to share about Embiid.

"I just left my third consecutive day working out with Joel," Brown said. "He just is so on track, he's on track in his head, he's on track physically.

"I will tell you that, behind closed doors, physically, mentally, recent scans medically, everything is pointing in the right direction."

Those positive remarks from Brown are not a huge shock, as they're pretty consistent with the optimstic outlook he's generally had on Embiid. 

What Brown had to say about the timeline for Embiid's return to competitive action was slightly more surprising.

When Lowe asked him if Embiid was on track to play in the preseason, Brown responded with three sweet words.

"Yes, he is." 

That's a step up from Brown's comments to CSNPhilly's John Clark in May. Back then, all he would commit to was, "There is a chance, but I can’t really quantify if that’s a big chance or a small chance."

There's still plenty of time to go before the Sixers' preseason opener on October 4 (see schedule), so it's obviously far from a guarantee that Embiid will play in that game. If there's even the smallest hint of discomfort or a "setback," as Brown put it, Embiid's not playing in the preseason. But at least we now have confirmation that Embiid is on track to be dunking on NBA centers, not "little" coaches.

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