Drummond reveals Embiid is back practicing with Sixers and says, ‘He looks ready to me’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CAMDEN, N.J. — Andre Drummond slipped in a nugget of news after the Sixers’ practice Thursday.
While answering a question about players gaining comfort in their roles during the Sixers’ recent 5-2 stretch, Drummond said the following:
“Thankfully, Paul (George) is back and fully healthy, so he’s a big help for us. I’m sure Jo will be tomorrow, too. We should have a full-strength roster tomorrow and go from there.
“Our goal is to wrap these guys in bubble wrap to keep them safe from injuries, man, because we need everyone. Just looking forward to a great game tomorrow. Looking forward to having everybody back and really trying to build this chemistry.”
“Jo” as in Joel Embiid? The superstar center out with a right sinus fracture who a team official said Monday would be re-evaluated in approximately one week?
“I’m not speaking for that man,” Drummond said. “He looked fine at practice the past two days. He’s a grown man, so whatever he decides to do is on him. I’m just saying he looks ready to play to me. That’s why I said it.”
Drummond naturally faced further follow-ups.
He laughed a couple of times as he realized that he was clearly not sharing information aligned with the Sixers’ messaging. (Later in the afternoon, the Sixers listed Embiid as questionable. A team official said he would be re-evaluated the following day.)
“He looks ready to me,” Drummond said. “Obviously, it’s up to him if he feels comfortable going out there quite yet, but he looked fine to me. He’s been moving around. He wore his mask.
“So whatever the team doctors say for tomorrow … I didn’t say it here first, so I take back what I said. If they didn’t tell you, then I have no idea either then. I think he looks fine. That’s what I think.”
And what about the extent of Embiid’s participation in practice?
“Whatever difference it makes … he still participated,” Drummond said. “He was out there, he played 5-on-5, he participated in the drills. He looked…
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