Matt Slocum/Associated PressWhen the Philadelphia 76ers report to training camp on Oct. 1, Joel Embiid could arrive in the best shape of his life.
In a video posted for the "One Chip Challenge," the Sixers All-Star center revealed he's lost approximately 25 pounds this summer:
This is great news for a 76ers team that has a roster capable of winning a championship, as long as Embiid can remain healthy. The 25-year-old told reporters in May his goal for the offseason was to improve his conditioning:
Derek Bodner @DerekBodnerNBAEmbiid said his focus this summer isn't so much to lose weight. Says he currently weighs ~280, and could see himself playing at 270-275. Says his focus is more on stamina and quickness, but wants to retain ability to bully people inside with his size and strength.
Embiid's conditioning has been the subject of criticism throughout his professional career. Hall of Fame center Robert Parish told SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t Bruno Manrique of Clutch Points) in May that he would run circles around the Sixers big man.
"Run his jock strap off, for starters, because he's not in shape," Parish said. "I would make him play defense and run his jock strap off every chance I got. By the fourth quarter, he'd be drained. Trust me on that."
If Embiid's slimmed-down physique allows him to become more dynamic on the basketball court and eases the pressure on his knees, it wouldn't be a stretch for him to be in the 2019-20 NBA MVP conversation.
ncG1vNJzZmianJqupLTEq6meqJ%2BnwW%2BvzqZmmqqknrCtsdJoaXFtZGaEd3nVopuep11sg6a%2B0maqrZmiYrewsctmnKaamZ6xbr7Er5yapKNitaZ5y6iqrWVianqxu9Snm6xlpJ22tHnOn52snZGovK8%3D