Joel Embiid Eased Into Becoming a Full Participant for Camp

CAMDEN, NJ (973espn.com) -- The 2018 NBA Season went well for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. After clinching the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the All-Star helped lead his team to a tough second-round series in the playoffs against the eventual NBA Finals Champions.

While there were a lot of positive takeaways from last season, Embiid dealt with perhaps the most criticism after the year concluded based on the state of his health. At this point in Embiid's career, it's a well-known fact he won't complete a full season.

After suffering multiple injuries and even sicknesses throughout the first few years, the team has come to accept that there will be nights without Joel Embiid on the floor. Sixers' head coach Brett Brown already confirmed that two weeks ago.

What was also confirmed, though, was the fact that Embiid is genuinely taking his health and diet serious in 2019. After hearing judgments from fans, analysts, and probably even the peers around him last season, Embiid decided he could benefit from changing his ways. So Embiid lost a total of 20 pounds over the summer.

Now that he's shed some weight, and worked harder on remaining in-shape throughout the offseason, the next step for Embiid is to put it all together and find out where his limits are for his re-shaped body and health.

"I think he looks excellent," Brett Brown said on Wednesday after the Sixers' second training camp practice of the offseason. Looking excellent from losing the weight is only half the battle, though, as Brown went on to discuss.

"We all can go on a diet, but to all of a sudden, apply your weight with your cardio -- that's the holy grail. He did it -- he obviously did it because I see he can run up and down the court without calling in for a sub."

From day one and two, the Sixers weren't ready to let Embiid loose as a full participant. When training camp tipped off, Embiid was considered limited in practice, according to Sixers' PR. For day two, he wasn't on the injury report, but he did sit out for the back end of practice, which was open to the media.

By day three, the Sixers eliminated the limitations. As their squad remains healthy, the injury report didn't label anybody on the floor as a limited participant. That included Embiid, who got off to a slower start than everybody else. At this point though, there won't be any further limitations barring any setbacks for the center.