Joel Embiid gave an exclusive interview to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan* and he got very candid about his injury and Rookie of the Year candidacy.

First up, the meniscus tear. Brace yourselves for some alarming news that, uh, no one knew about until now:

“I feel very lucky,” Embiid said in his first public comments since his operation to repair a meniscus tear. “When I went into that surgery, I went in thinking I was going to have a six-month recovery. That’s what they told me: six months or more. I’m thinking, ‘No, not again.’

“When they did the MRI [before the surgery], it looked like my meniscus was fully torn. But when they got it in there, they realized that wasn’t the case. It really turned out to be nothing, just a small, little thing. So that’s very good.”

OK great, just a small little WAIT, WHAT? Six months and a full tear? Going back through the Embiid saga timeline, the Sixers were, predictably, intentionally vague about the severity of the injury, even after Bryan Colangelo’s come to Jesus press conference in which he pledged full transparency, including the time, frequency and consistency of his bowel movements. Never were we led to believe that Embiid had a more serious, full tear that would’ve required a six-month recovery and likely led to, at best, a minutes restriction to start the season.

The good news is that Embiid’s injury wasn’t nearly as bad as (none of us) expected. The bad news is that the Keystone Cops medical team who looked at Embiid’s MRI were wrong about what they saw. My confidence level hovers at around a 2 in this group. Robert Covington is undergoing surgery on his meniscus. Look for him to be out for the next 4-6 years.

Embiid also talked about his All-Star snub and Rookie of the Year candidacy, and I be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy his comments in a very adult way:


Even though he appeared in less than half of his team’s games this season, Embiid believes he should be crowned NBA Rookie of the Year.

“I think so,” Embiid said. “I mean, no disrespect to other guys. Dario [Saric] is my teammate and my friend, and I love him. And I know Malcolm [Brogdon] from when I was visiting schools. When I made my visit to Virginia, he took me around. They both had great seasons.

“I know people are saying about me, ‘Oh, he only played 31 games.’ But look at what I did in those 31 games — averaging the amount of points I did in just 25 minutes.

“I’m not sure why people want to punish me for that. Even going back to the All-Star Game. I didn’t get chosen for that, and people were killing me because I didn’t play 30 minutes a game. But here’s what I don’t understand: If I put up those numbers in less time than another guy, what’s the difference? Doesn’t it mean I did more in less time? Wait until I play as many minutes as those guys, then you will see what I do.

“But people have their own ideas about how they vote for things.”

*On our test show for our upcoming Crossing Broadcast this morning, Adam, Russ and I wondered why MacMullan, a Boston reporter, would get an exclusive with a Philly player, in LA, in an interview that drops just hours after the Sixers season ends. Feels like a Colangelo plant. Indeed, MacMullan got some Team USA access last summer when she wrote about Gregg Popovich taking over coaching duties. No real conspiracy theory here– just an observation into how this interview comes out of nowhere. Embiid casually drops that his injury was supposed to be much worse, but, SURPRISE!, he’s fine.