Drew Hanlen congratulated Joel Embiid on winning MVP via Twitter with a collection of photos of the two working out together. While a trainer sharing the work he and a player put in isn’t that interesting, the pictures he posted raised a few eyebrows.

Hanlen’s post included photos of Joel Embiid working out at TD Garden:

I see that brace, so this pretty much confirms it was either after Game 1 or Tuesday night. Either way, if he’s out there getting shots up and working through his post moves, it’s a sign he’s mobile enough to do so.

It’s more likely that it occurred before he received the MVP, and he was moving well then by the look of it. I don’t think Embiid being ready to start on Wednesday night is entirely out of the question.

Of course, this doesn’t guarantee Joel Embiid plays in Game 2. But, he could have used any set of pictures from over the years they’ve worked together.

Hanlen does love posting cryptic stuff similar to this on social media, which I’m sure is part of why he and Embiid get along so well. It’s not entirely far-fetched he’d be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for neurotic Sixers fans like me.

Maybe I’m just too optimistic about Embiid’s timeline. It’s hard not to be with him officially winning MVP.

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