Minutes after the 76ers lost Game 2 of their first-round series to the Heat on Monday night, Joel Embiid posted on his Instagram story. The caption was simple but spoke volumes: “F*****g sick and tired of being babied.”
Here’s why Joel Embiid was so mad after Game 2
Embiid hasn’t played since he suffered an orbital fracture in late March. He’s frustrated and wants to play.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
What happened?
Embiid suffered a concussion and orbital fracture under his left eye in a March 28 game against the New York Knicks. He missed the Sixers’ final eight regular-season games and was forced to sit Game 1 of Philly’s first-round series. Embiid cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol after the 76ers won that game, 130-103, and many hoped and/or expected Embiid to return for Game 2. But the all-star big man watched helplessly from the bench as Miami blasted his team the second go-round.
This isn’t the first time Embiid has missed playing time.
Obviously he missed his first two seasons with a foot injury before ever setting foot on an NBA court as a rookie. He then placed as a Rookie of the Year finalist last season despite only playing in 31 games, limited by several injuries, including a torn meniscus near the end of the year.
The Sixers training staff has been cautious with Embiid, as they should. He averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and shot 31 percent from three in his second season in Philly. He’s a once-in-a-generation kind of big man who has helped revitalize the 76ers from one of the league’s worst teams to a dark horse conference Finals contender this season. His injury history speaks for itself. Philadelphia doesn’t want to take any chances.
What does Embiid’s Instagram post mean?
That he wants to play basketball and help his team win. That’s what.
If the 76ers get by the Heat in the first round, they have an easy route to facing either Toronto or Cleveland in the conference finals. Philly is drastically better with Embiid on the court; he dominates both ends of the floor and adds another layer to a well-oiled 76ers’ offense.
Embiid understands that. He and Hassan Whiteside have some unsettled business to handle on the court. The 76ers have been starting Ersan Ilyasova at the center slot in Embiid’s absence, and while Ilyasova poses matchup problems for Miami, he’s not the dominant two-way force Embiid is; not even close.
What does his coach think about it?
Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown gets it. As Brown told it in his post-game press conference, he and Embiid have had conversations with similar “flavor” to his Instagram story post. It’s the cry of a soldier who wants to battle with his platoon. That’s all.
“The flavor that he delivers his conversations, our private conversations; he just wants to play basketball,” Brown said after the Game 2 loss. “He wants to be with his team. He wants to play in front of his fans, and he wants to see this through. And when he’s not able to do that, he gets frustrated. And I respect his frustration. It’s born out of competitiveness, and it’s born out of him wanting to be with his team.
“The medical side, the different reasons, I’m not gonna go there, but the spirit in which he delivers that [post] reflects my conversations with him that is completely driven by team, competitiveness, I wanna play basketball — that type of flavor more than anything.”
Will Embiid play in Game 3?
We don’t know, but at this point, it’s safe to assume it’s 50/50. The 76ers could clearly use him out there on the floor, and his injury isn’t a knee or a foot; it’s his face. Embiid wants to play, so the Sixers should let him.
The only thing that’s clear is Philly’s all-star is very upset when he’s not out there playing with his guys. And if he’s ready to play, well, the 76ers should just let him out.
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