It took two years after being drafted in 2014 before we got to Joel Embiid’s rookie season, and the Sixers sensation did not disappoint, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.1 assists per game and, until late January, was the runaway favorite to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
Then disaster struck as a meniscus tear took him out of the lineup, with the Sixers eventually shutting him down for the season after 31 games played. It was a disappointing end to such a fun season from Embiid, as he showed both the on-court skill and off-court personality Sixers fans craved after slogging through so many years of tanking and struggling, aka The Process.
While Embiid, like Sixers fans, is disappointed in his season coming to an abrupt end, he still manages to have fun with the situation. He posted to Instagram immediately after his injury and tagged the location of the post as “meniscus,” and his latest commercial with Jolly Ranchers in their “Keep on Sucking” campaign pokes fun at his injury history causing him to still be a rookie, three years after being drafted.
“When you’re still a rookie after you’ve been in the league for three years, you have to trust the process and just embrace it,” Embiid said. “It is great working with Jolly Rancher – and poking fun at my long-lasting rookie status. This new commercial is a fun reminder that sometimes you’ve just got to laugh at yourself and embrace the stuff that sucks.”
Embiid poking fun at his situation is a good sign that he’s remaining positive, but for many Sixers fans it might take until he makes it through a full season for them to be able to really laugh.
