HOUSTON _ Brett Brown was unable Friday to disclose a return date for Joel Embiid. The 76ers coach, however, did give some encouraging news about the two-time All-Star center, who will miss his eighth consecutive game Friday night because of left-knee tendinitis.
"His knee is getting stronger," Brown said after Friday's shootaround for the matchup with the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
"His spirits are great. He sees how much he has missed. What that means in relation to his return, I don't know. What I can say is he's right on track in relation to getting stronger and having the knee feel better."
Embiid, who is not on the road trip, is doing light contact work and strength and conditioning work as part of his rehabilitation. The team plans to increase the workload by having Embiid participate in three-on-three and four-on-four drills.
He had been dealing with knee soreness at different stages of the season. Embiid even sat out the Sixers' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 30 because of the soreness.
This time, he was scheduled to be out at least a week. Brown said Feb. 27 that he expected him to return against the Golden Warriors on March 2. But on Feb. 28, the coach said "we're still learning more" when asked about the reexamination of the knee. Yet, he is still sidelined.
Embiid, however, said Saturday he could play if necessary.
"It's all about long-term preservation, making sure I'm ready," he said of remaining sidelined. "Not just for the playoffs, also for the next 15 years. ... We felt like it was better to preserve it, but it's getting better."
