Sam Hinkie expects Joel Embiid to be ‘raring to go’ next season

Joel Embiid isn't likely to play during the summer league, but 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie expects him to be ready for the 2016-2017 NBA season.

Embiid's status was of major interest as Hinkie held a press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine on Friday as part of a state of the Sixers update.

Selected No. 3 overall in the 2014 NBA draft after his freshman season at Kansas, Embiid has yet to play following a second surgery on his right foot in August.

He missed the 2014-15 season after originally undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in the navicular bone in his right foot.The Sixers competed in two summer leagues last year in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Las Vegas.

When asked if Embiid would compete this summer, Hinkie replied, "We haven't talked about it in great detail, but if I had to guess I doubt it."

Hinkie said that, due to Embiid's August surgery, getting ready for summer league ball doesn't appear feasible.

"The first time he got injured and had surgery in June [of 2014] and was getting ready for summer league in July [of 2015], " Hinkie said. "This last time he had surgery in August."

That makes it a shorter time line than his first surgery.

"We definitely wouldn't push him to be ready in July, and I am not sure it would make a whole lot of sense at the end of the day," Hinkie said.

The general manager is optimistic for Embiid's return in the 2016-17 season.

"I think the goal from there is to back up and say, 'Let's have Joel raring to go for next season but not for Salt Lake and the 5th of July,'" Hinkie said.

Embiid is in Qatar at a facility called Aspeter, which Hinkie says is renowned in the sports medicine field."We sent some of our personnel with him, and he is doing great," Hinkie said.

Hinkie added that Embiid will likely begin traveling with the team toward the final part of the season.

Hinkie also hinted that JaKarr Sampson, who was waived when the Sixers acquired center Joel Anthony at the trade deadline, may return. If that happens, it would mean that Anthony would likely be waived.

"JaKarr Sampson has been a big part of our culture and may well continue to be," Hinkie said.

Hinkie said he likes how Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel have played together, even though each has seemed to be more comfortable at center.

"We feel good about how those two have fit together so far," Hinkie said. "They really complement each other, particularly defensively."

Hinkie said there was considerable interest in both players up to the trade deadline, but "they are people key to us, and [teams] understand we are much more likely to keep them."

The Sixers general manager said he was also gratified to see how much interest many of his other players received in trade talks but said nothing major was close to happening before Thursday's trade deadline.

He also said his strategy on drafting the best player, regardless of position or whether they can be signed right away, remains the same.

"I don't think you'll see a huge change in our mind-set." he said.