76ers' Brown on Embiid: 'He sees his reward being summer league'

If the Philadelphia 76ers have their way, their prized 2014 draft pick will be the talk of the 2015 summer.

After reports of poor conditioning and work ethic earlier this season and rumblings of a setback in early March, Joel Embiid has been increasing his workload while on the Sixers' West Coast trip, according to CSN Philly's Dei Lynam.

Embiid, who underwent foot surgery in June, has yet to take part in an NBA game and almost surely won't this season. But 76ers head coach Brett Brown, who's been working Embiid out himself before games, sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

"We are trying to set the stage for a great summer," Brown said. "He sees his reward being the summer league and trying to get ready for playing basketball again. He is headed in the right direction."

"He is feeling better without a doubt," Brown added. "He is ticking boxes with regards to increased time on the court and reduced weight."

The Sixers selected Embiid No. 3 overall in last June's draft, a week after the Kansas product had two screws inserted into his foot.

He was originally expected to miss four-to-six months, although the team admitted shortly after drafting Embiid that he could miss the entire season.