Because of his injury history, Brown said Thursday he could not say for certain that Embiid would start opening night October 26 against Oklahoma City.
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Midway through his annual preseason media luncheon, Brett Brown was asked his expectations for the season.
“… I feel like (Simmons’) growth of learning how to run a lane and play ahead of the ball, that second pass, and we get him going in the open court on a kick ahead, where it’s not always Ben ball-dominant, will be a part of his growth offensively”.
“I am very happy watching him in a gym where he is very proactive”, said Brown, who anticipates opponents will play “three to four steps” off Simmons, to “bait and challenge him into shooting”.
While Simmons routinely displayed the skills referenced above throughout his lone collegiate campaign, Brown was clearly encouraged to see this versatility resurface in the Utah Jazz and Samsung NBA Summer Leagues. “And we all say, “Wow, project Joel Embiid out in two or three years.” “.
There’s also excitement surrounding Dario Saric. “However, he probably won”t win more than 25 even with the free-agent additions of Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson, and Sergio Rodriguez.
The team is young and still several seasons away from being a serious National Basketball Association title contender.
As for the two seasons in which the 22-year-old Embiid was sidelined, Brown believes it allowed him to become “more mature” and could be a blessing in disguise.
Brown stopped short of declaring the former University of Kansas standout will play in the season opener against the Thunder on October 26 but insists it’s a matter of when, not if, he returns.
“Maybe not so much to the outside world, but if you really want to grow a program [it does]”.
“I’ve seen five times what it takes to play in June. But I know it”.
“His evolution is going to be rapid”, Brown said.
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If Brown’s instinct proves true, Simmons will certainly command his fair share of the conversation, and in a positive way, for quite some time.
