"First round exit & he’ll cry again" - NBA fans troll Joel Embiid over rumors of making early comeback for 76ers from knee injury

Joel Embiid has been out of the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup for over two months. From being one of the Eastern Conference's best teams, the 76ers are in the play-in tournament realm in eighth place. Amid their struggles, there is a new hope that Embiid might return for the playoffs, and some NBA fans weren’t excited about that.

NBA Central recently posted a video of Embiid working out with his teammates in the 76ers' facility. In the video, he moved well, shooting step-backs and making layups.

“Joel Embiid is coming back soon. Scary Hours,” NBA Central tweeted.

However, reacting to the tweet, one fan wrote:

"First round exit & he’ll cry again"

Alluding to Embiid’s postseason issues, one user wrote:

“He’s coming back just in time to drop 20-8-3 in the playoffs on 38% shooting!!”

Here are some more reactions from users on X.

How has Joel Embiid performed in playoffs?

When it comes to the regular season, Joel Embiid will end up being considered one of the most dominant players in NBA history. In the previous two seasons, the 76ers’ star has averaged 30.6 and 33.1 points per game on 49.9% and 54.8% shooting. Before his injury this season, Embiid was averaging 35.3 ppg on 53.3% shooting.

However, in the postseason, Embiid hasn’t had the same level of success. One of the reasons that users trolled him before his return is because of how he and Philadelphia have fared in the playoffs.

Philadelphia has made the playoffs six straight seasons, losing in the Eastern Conference semifinals five times and getting swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2020 playoffs.

In the postseason, the 76ers star has averaged 24.0 points per game while shooting only 46.1%, including 28.0% from beyond the arc. Plus, he's often been hampered by injuries. Those stats are big drops from a player of his caliber who has been so dominant in the regular season.

Embiid averaged 23.6 ppg in the 2022 playoffs and 23.7 ppg in the 2023 playoffs (as the MVP).