Joel Embiid showing progress

It appears as if Joel Embiid is in much better shape than about five weeks ago when a report by Keith Pompey in The Inquirer stated that the 7-foot 76ers rookie weighed close to 300 pounds.

At the time, we thought that report would be a great wakeup call to Embiid and apparently he has used it as motivation.

Embiid was working out before Friday’s game at the Wells Fargo Center against the Washington Wizards and he was moving well, executing jump hooks with either hand, and basically showing good mobility.

The former Kansas Jayhawk has been out all season with a right foot stress fracture and the Sixers haven’t given any indication that he will play this year.

Embiid’s progress and return from injury, just like Nerlens Noel the year before, remains one of the Sixers big storylines. Much of any improvement will be tied to his performance next season.

While it’s difficult to totally judge somebody on a pre-game workout, it appears that Embiid has taken his conditioning more seriously.