Friday’s Sixers news wasn’t half bad, both literally and figuratively.

Joel Embiid participated in half-court 5v5 segments, while Jahlil Okafor took part in all activities. It was the first time both players practiced in those capacities during training camp.

We didn’t get to see it with our own eyes, but Brett Brown provided an update.

“He looked good,” Brown said of Embiid. “He gets so motivated to play in real situations, and his energy has been excellent in sort of the drill work. To see him more around with bodies on the floor and have it be offense/defense, I thought that he looked pretty good.”

Brown was asked if the team needed to reign in Embiid to keep him from going too hard, too soon.

“I hear your question, and it’s not how he’s wired. I’m not really even sure, from a coaching standpoint, what that looks like. We play and he plays. He’s not diving into stands – which I do get what that looks like – but, in general, just his energy and his passion, he wants to block every shot. It’s hard to say no to that.”

The head coach pointed out that it’s one thing for Embiid to refamiliarize himself with structure and learn to be around his new teammates. It’s another thing for players like Markelle Fultz, JJ Redick, and Ben Simmons to learn how to play with a unique talent like Embiid.

“He’s obviously very different to play with,” Brown added. “We’re talking about what he has to get used to, but it’s a whole different thing for his teammates, you know? You have another incredible weapon and target that you have to get the ball to, or recognize that he’s behind you defensively. All over the place it’s subtle adjustments, but the bottom line is to see him with us, sweating and playing against people, and them playing against him, it was a good day.”

“I feel lighter”

Richaun Holmes had a good take on his teammate Jahlil Okafor, who has trimmed down this offseason while converting to a vegan diet.

“For starters, he looks like a stick,” Holmes said with a laugh. “But he’s moving better, he’s more athletic. You can see the determination in his face to have a successful season. It was great, seeing him back out there and getting his (fitness) up, getting a chance to show what he worked on and having the team a little closer to full strength. It was fun, it was good to have him back.”

Okafor reportedly lost about 20 pounds this summer. He was shutdown last season with a knee injury, which also limited him to begin camp.

“I felt good,” the Sixers center said on Friday. “I was cleared to do everything. That was part of the plan going into training camp. I knew by Friday that I’d be able to do everything on the court. I got winded, but that’s to be expected. That was my first time playing five-on-five since I ended my season short last year. But I was happy to be back on the court with my teammates.”

There may be concerns about Okafor’s physicality around the rim, considering that weight loss.

He says he asked Justin Anderson and Amir Johnson about those situations, and both players said that he was strong and effective underneath. One of Okafor’s main concerns was being able to “hold his ground” physically.

“I feel lighter,” he said. “I just feel good on the court. Everything is pretty comfortable and I have no soreness in my knee. Mentally, I’m not even thinking about it. That’s what I’m most excited about. So many times last season I was thinking about my knee in the game and I haven’t thought about it at all during training camp. That’s a credit to the training staff and a credit to myself just in trying to take better care of my body. I’m happy where I’m at right now.”

More on Okafor from Brown:

The Sixers’ version of Wimbledon

It’s nice to be talking about ping-pong instead of ping-pong balls.

The Sixers had a night out on Thursday at SPiN Philadelphia, which produced this wonderful picture of Brett Brown:

It was a team table tennis tournament, and Brown lost the title game to Jerryd Bayless.

“I asked the team, I said to Ben (Simmons) and Markelle (Fultz), ‘if Washington and LSU could have got to the finals of the NCAA tournament, and you would have got crushed, just been embarrassed on national TV, versus not making it, which one would you choose?’ And they said they’d rather go to the finals and get crushed. And I said, ‘well, that’s what happened to me.’ I was crushed in front of the team. Anytime someone brings their own ping-pong paddle, you know you’re in trouble. Jerryd has this, I don’t know if it’s a personal case, but he came ready to play and I limped into the finals, I think with five wins, but was crushed by Jerryd.”

“It’s a great night, the venue was like a big living room all over the place with elite ping-pong tables and people serving food. The team got into it. It was our version of Wimbledon and that photo reflected some misspent youth, I’m sure.”