Joel Embiid takes out his anger on a chair after being pulled from a game

Joel Embiid has been dealing with minute restrictions all season as the 76ers protect their prized big man, who missed his first two NBA seasons. On Wednesday, after Philadelphia went to a second overtime against the Memphis Grizzlies, Embiid was told he was being pulled from the game. He took his anger out on a chair.

Embiid is understandably frustrated. The 76ers are perfectly in the right to be cautious with a player they view as a franchise-changing talent, especially in a season that still isn’t going anywhere. But Embiid is a basketball player, and it’s natural he wants to play more. He’s already been told he won’t play on Friday, and being pulled after 27 minutes in a tie game sucks for an uber-competitive NBA player.

There were some character concerns with Embiid early in his 76ers career — that he wasn’t taking his rehab seriously, and that he defied doctor’s orders about resting his hurt foot. However, Embiid has been a model patient for the past year, and there’s no real concern about a mild temper tantrum on the bench. He wants to win, just like everyone else on the roster. You can see that when he was asked about it after the game — plus a “trust the process” reference, just for kicks.

Philadelphia ended up losing 104-99 to Memphis in the second overtime after Jahlil Okafor replaced Embiid in the five-man unit.