Chapter Eleven: Michael, Do You Want to Get in the Game?

"Swish!"
Inside the Wachovia Center, Robert Covington of the 76ers used a screen set by Joel Embiid, took a step inside the three-point line, and launched a jump shot. The ball fell cleanly through the net, adding two more points for the 76ers.

"Look at Joel, built like a mountain—what a high-quality screen!"
The commentators didn't dwell on the basket itself. In their eyes, Covington’s shot opportunity was completely created by Embiid, and they couldn’t help but lavish praise on Embiid’s flawless pick.

The home crowd of 76ers fans erupted in cheers as their team surged to a 14-5 lead on their home court, a nine-point advantage!
Of those 14 points, Embiid alone accounted for 7. Not only that, he’d hauled in three rebounds, handed out an assist, and forced the Magic to change their entire offensive scheme—leaving the visiting team completely out of rhythm.

"Joel Embiid on his own has turned this into a one-sided contest!"
Even sitting on the bench, Michael Wu could clearly feel the astonishing impact this big man was having on the game.

"That’s right. Can you believe this guy only started playing basketball in high school?" Bismack Biyombo, seated next to Wu, grumbled begrudgingly at his teammate’s amazement. "You have to admit, that’s visible talent."

While Wu and Biyombo talked on the bench, Embiid continued his performance on the court. In the paint, he backed down Nikola Vucevic, faked left, feinted right, and then lifted a soft floater—but this time, the ball clanged off the back of the rim and bounced high.

Before that, Embiid had scored three straight times against Vucevic, including an and-one. The opponent had ruthlessly denied Vucevic even a moment to catch his breath!
So, when Embiid finally missed, Vucevic let out a sigh of relief, thinking that if he could just secure this rebound, things might improve.

But before he could grab the ball, Embiid—who had just missed—leapt up again, flicking the ball with his fingertips just out of Vucevic’s reach. As Vucevic came down, Embiid jumped a second time, wrapped both hands around the ball, and—hanging on Vucevic in midair—thundered it through the hoop!

"Dunk!"
As Embiid finished the put-back slam, the referee’s whistle sounded—Vucevic was called for a defensive foul. Embiid had another chance at a three-point play!

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
As Embiid stepped to the free-throw line, most of the crowd chanted in unison. In their eyes, he was the future superstar of Philadelphia.

"His ability to jump repeatedly is incredible!"
On the Magic bench, Michael Wu couldn’t stop replaying Embiid’s utter dominance beneath the rim in his mind.

That instant burst of strength—the leap, the landing, the second explosion upward, then the dunk!
The sheer power radiating from that immense frame left Wu deeply shaken.

I want to fight him for a rebound. I want to leap under his basket and dunk!
His heart surged with excitement, making his legs tremble uncontrollably. He longed to get on the court right now and go head-to-head with the man at the free-throw line.

"Swish!"
Just as Wu’s blood ran hot, Embiid coolly knocked down the free throw, stretching the 76ers’ lead to twelve.

"Tweet!"
On the sideline, Magic head coach Frank Vogel couldn’t sit still anymore. He decisively called a timeout to adjust tactics against Embiid and made a substitution.

Bismack Biyombo replaced the struggling Vucevic, and the task of guarding Embiid now fell to Serge Ibaka.

As for Wu, he remained on the bench.

"Michael, keep your head up. Your chance will come."
As Biyombo prepared to check in, he patted Wu’s shoulder, easily reading the young man’s burning desire to play.

"Alright, Bismack, your job isn’t to be a mentor," Vogel cut in, urging Biyombo onto the court. Then, glancing at the somewhat dejected Wu, he asked, "Michael, do you want to get out there?"

Want to play?
At Vogel’s question, Wu’s head snapped up, eyes alight. "Yes, I want to play. I want it more than anything!"

"Good," Vogel smiled, gesturing toward Embiid on the floor. "See that big guy over there?"

"He’s just like you—an immensely talented young man," Vogel continued, locking eyes with Wu. "Don’t be fooled by how nimble his footwork looks now. A few years ago, he could barely dribble."

"Dribbling was a problem?"

As Vogel spoke, Embiid displayed his polished moves again on offense, but this time, Ibaka’s veteran defense forced a miss.

Wu glanced at the big man with the exquisite footwork in the paint, disbelief written all over his face.

"Of course. He’s from Cameroon and never received formal training. When he first arrived, his skills were incredibly raw," Vogel explained.
"If he’d stayed at that level, no matter how gifted or explosive he was physically, he never would’ve made it to the NBA." Vogel called out for his players to push the tempo, then turned back to Wu. "Let alone actually get into a game."

"So, Michael, do you want to play?"
With those words, Vogel gave Wu a meaningful look before striding to the sideline, shouting instructions to his players about defense and transition.

Meanwhile, the 76ers’ offense stuttered as Embiid cooled off. With his minutes limited, he was subbed out early in the first quarter for Richaun Holmes.

The Magic seized the moment: Evan Fournier from outside and Ibaka inside scored in quick succession, narrowing the gap. By the end of the first quarter, the Magic had even surged ahead, 25-23.

At the start of the second quarter, Embiid still hadn’t returned, and the 76ers played in disarray. The Magic seized control and built a double-digit lead.

Though Embiid checked back in to cheers late in the second quarter and made his presence felt in the paint, he could only stop the deficit from growing—he couldn’t turn the tide.

Embiid played only half of the third quarter before being subbed out for good.

On the Magic bench, Vogel still showed no sign of putting Wu in—not even when the team ran up a twenty-point lead in the fourth.

Yet Wu harbored no resentment at all for not getting in the game. One question kept ringing in his ears.

Do you want to play?