Why didn't Joel Embiid play his first two years in the NBA?
Joel Embiid is among the best NBA players of the 2022-23 season. He can do almost anything on the floor and has led the Philadelphia 76ers to one of the best records in the league.
Embiid is a fantastic player, despite dealing with numerous injuries throughout his professional career. The 76ers drafted the big man with the third pick in 2014, yet he made his NBA debut on October 26, 2016.
The 76ers star was forced to sit out the first two years of his NBA career due to an injury. These injuries took a significant toll and nearly caused him to retire from basketball.
Joel Embiid made his NBA debut two years after he was drafted
The Philadelphia 76ers had to go through several tanking seasons to acquire Joel Embiid. Sam Hinkie had a great plan to rebuild the team by drafting young players, but he eventually stepped down in April 2016, months before Embiid's debut.
There is no doubt that Embiid is the greatest product of "the process," which is why it's his nickname. Unfortunately, the 7-footer couldn't help his team win games as he dealt with major foot issues.
In the first season that he missed, the 76ers finished with 18 wins and 64 losses, the third-worst record in the entire league. The situation did not get much better in the 2015-16 season either, with the team winning only 10 games.
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The Sixers acquired a few more talented young players during this period, including Ben Simmons and Jahlil Okafor. In the two years Embiid sat out, the team had nine draft picks. However, the center is the only lottery player that's still on the team.
While he was sidelined with a foot injury, Joel Embiid had to go through two different surgeries. The team and fans hoped that he'd play in his second season, but this did not happen.
The talented star even considered retiring since he wasn't able to stay healthy and play basketball. Here's what he said back in 2017:
"I was such in a dark place. I wanted to quit basketball," Embiid said on ESPN radio. "I just wanted to go back home and just leave everything behind. That was right after my second surgery. I just couldn't do it anymore. I just wanted to, like, quit."
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Fortunately, the young star kept going and eventually became one of the best players in the league. He's a fantastic player on both ends of the floor and the Sixers could have a deep playoff run with him very soon.