After months of silence and vague updates, Joel Embiid took the court in front of Sixers fans for the first time since February on Sunday.
There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding nearly every sports team in Philadelphia.
Is the window closed for the Phillies? What will the Flyers look like this season as they take the next step in their rebuild? Did the Monstars steal the talent of Jalen Hurts and the Eagles as they once did his friend Michael Jordan?
The most prevalent among these revolves around Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
After a lost year as he attempted to recover from a torn meniscus, Embiid and the Sixers are approaching his injury in a new way. Against the initial wishes of the team, Embiid had arthroscopic surgery on his knee to clean up any potential debris after he was shut down from basketball activities in February.
Then, radio silence for months. Not until a rare interview with ESPN that focused on a range of topics spanning the length of Embiid's basketball career and beyond did the public hear anything about his procedure and recovery.
Sixers Media Day came and went, and while Embiid himself addressed the media from the very start, there was no definitive answer to questions of his timeline, readiness, and ability.
That's what made Sunday's event so shocking. Fans, even media members, may have expected Embiid to be present, but surely, none expected him to play in a preseason scrimmage.
Last season, Embiid attended the scrimmage but served in a coaching capacity alongside Tyrese Maxey and against Paul George.
This season, Embiid not only participated but even showed off a bit in front of the fans.
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After the scrimmage, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse provided an update on Embiid, what he worked on before the scrimmage, and his performance during.
"[Embiid's] been out there playing and and he's, again, just trying to continue to progress. Today was a good progression day for him," Nurse said. "Lots of running, lots of five-on-five, lots of early practice stuff, lots of drill work, lots of five-on-zero, just lots of getting him caught up to speed. And then he went out there and did his thing. He shot the ball well, he scored well, he orchestrated the offense well, I thought he ran pretty good as well, both directions...I saw some good progression."
There is no confirmation that Embiid will play in the team's final preseason game this Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, nor that he will be ready for the team's season opener on Wednesday, Oct. 22, against the Boston Celtics.
Still, while it certainly doesn't equate the grind of an NBA game or season, Embiid's appearance in this scrimmage, and more over the fluidity and comfort that he displayed on the court, is the most encouraging update the public has had on Embiid in months, arguably since before his injury.
