Joel Embiid reacts to Markelle Fultz’s Summer League injury
By David Rouben
Markelle Fultz had to limp off his NBA Summer League debut, and all his teammate Joel Embiid could do was sit at home and watch in horror.
NBA Summer League is meaningless … until someone gets hurt, then it means everything. That’s what happened in Markelle Fultz’s first ever game as a Philadelphia 76er. He looked very sharp in the first half, especially on offense, but when he tried to make a defensive play, he rolled his ankle and had to get carried off.
For Joel Embiid, it was an all-too-familiar sight. His career has been plagued by lower-body injuries ever since he was drafted in 2014. In the small amount of playing time he has received, he’s looked like the best center in the East, but even the one season he’s played in got cut short.
Of course, Embiid is far from the only 76ers player to get hit with injury problems. Fultz is now the second first overall pick in a row to suffer a pre-season injury, and when he did, Embiid reacted in horror:
Oh no no no.. don't do this to us
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 9, 2017
Embiid is always very candid on Twitter — we see him on social media more than we see him on the court. His enigmatic personality is what has made him such a fan favorite, so for him to tweet something like this is legitimately heartbreaking.
It perfectly captures the feeling across all of Sixers nation. When Fultz was drafted, it felt like the Process was truly over. While Embiid was healthy, they looked like they were playoff-bound, so to add Ben Simmons and Fultz to that core seemed like it would get them over the hump. But all three of them have documented injury issues, and to think they would all overcome them this season seemed too good to be true.
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Of course, nobody knows how severe Fultz’s injury is. He could be out long-term, or he could be ready for the start of training camp. It’s no secret that the Sixers, when healthy, have loads of potential. But until the “Feds” can overcome their injury problems, fans will be destined to forever trust the process.