The Philadelphia 76ers’ first practice inside the bubble was a strong one, according to those involved.
The Philadelphia 76ers are officially inside the bubble and have completed the 48-hour isolation requirement, which means the Sixers took the court for the first time yesterday. Brett Brown and his squad have roughly three weeks of “training camp” before the season resumes on August 1.
While there is no media inside the bubble — and therefore no media at practices — there are still Zoom interviews to keep fans in the loop. Both Brown and the players spoke glowingly of the team after their practice Sunday morning.
For Brown, what stood out most to him was the Sixers’ conditioning. He thought it was impressive overall, but one player in particular stood out — Joel Embiid. Brown recently praised the man hours Embiid put in over the hiatus, and said he expected the big fella in the best shape of his career. It appears Embiid delivered.
Brett Brown says at first practice in Orlando, team conditioning was strong overall and says, “I thought Joel especially stood out”
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 12, 2020
This is easily the biggest development of the Sixers’ first practice, if you can call it that. Conditioning has been Embiid’s biggest bugaboo late in seasons for his entire (short) career. If he’s in the best shape of his life — something we won’t know for sure until he’s in front of cameras in a competitive environment — the Sixers could make serious noise down the stretch.
In addition to Embiid’s conditioning, it appears the vibes in the gym were positive. Al Horford embraced the energy in the gym, while Tobias Harris voiced his excitement to have everyone in the same room again.
The Sixers (and the NBA) still have a long way to go. COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Florida, and on the basketball front, Philadelphia is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference. A lot can change in three weeks — heck, more like five months — but even so, the Sixers have a lot to prove. And, on the player safety front, so does the league.
Embiid’s conditioning will remain paramount to any and all Sixers success. How he looks in practice is guaranteed a front page headline nine days out of 10. It’s clear the hiatus has the potential to benefit the Sixers. We shall see if everything holds up.