On Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed the Minnesota Timberwolves into the recently renamed Xfinity Mobile Arena for their final preseason game ahead

The moment it hit Joel Embiid that he was back on an NBA floor, playing against an opponent? When he launched a “terrible shot” that barely grazed the rim 7 seconds into the 76ers’ preseason finale Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For the first time in nearly eight months, Joel Embiid played in a basketball game for the Philadelphia 76ers. And although it was a preseason game against the reserves of the Minnesota Timberwolves,

With expectations reset, Philadelphia hopes to bounce back and reclaim its spot among the league’s elite. But much of that optimism still rests on the health of Embiid and George, whose arrival last summer was seen as the spark needed to strengthen the franchise’s championship contender status.

So far, the Sixers are winless in preseason play at 0-3, having been without Paul George, Joel Embiid and rookie guard Jared McCain in all three contests. George has already been ruled out for the season opener, but Embiid’s status remains uncertain.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/76ers as Joel Embiid Dominates Post-Practice Battles vs Sixers Teammates. Joel Embiid has yet to play in any preseason action for the Philadelphia 76ers, but he continues to give positive samples to the press and the fans.

Dwight Howard thinks a healthy Joel Embiid is the only center who can take on prime Shaq “I felt like if he had stayed healthy, he would probably be the only player at that time who I could see giving Shaq problems, if he was playing Shaq one-on-one.” (h/t @HoopAnalysisNet ) pic.twitter.com/gKNdtOOsAu

Embiid, who is still recovering from left knee surgery in April, is continuing to push forward. The Sixers announced he was a partial participant in practice on Tuesday, but that comes after he played in the team's Blue X White scrimmage on Sunday. Both of those developments are good signs for Philadelphia.