In other words, a slow ramp-up was always expected for the superstar. Especially in light of comments he made around training camp, when Embiid bluntly told reporters he did not expect to play two back-to-back games for the rest of his career. However, it seems the seven-footer may have been hasty with that declaration.

"He is the piece. He is The Process," Paul George said of his Philly co-star, who made his season debut Tuesday.

The Sixers are closer to the team that was promised than the haters hoped was possible after a dispiriting month. It’s only a matter of time before they get there, assuming the stars stay healthy.