The Philadelphia 76ers are raising many questions about their future after a concerning loss to the Miami Heat. Dropping to 0-4 since the season debut of Joel Embiid, head coach Nick Nurse‘s team has significantly struggled this season. The trio of Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey have not played a single game together, leaving Philadelphia at a dismal record of 2-11.
For a team with title aspirations, the 76ers have had a disastrous season, to say the least. The frustration within the locker room boiled over after the loss to the Miami Heat.
According to AP NBA Writer Tim Reynolds, nobody from Philadelphia spoke to postgame reporters for over an hour after the loss to Miami. Ky Carlin, editor of Sixers Wire for USA Today, later reported that Nick Nurse apologized for being late to the media session and said this was due to a team meeting after the game.
The Philadelphia 76ers are scrambling to find an identity amid the injuries
The state of the 76ers is rough right now, especially after Monday night’s performance. After a strong start, Philadelphia was outscored 35-16 in the third quarter. Their leading scorer was Jared McCain, who has had a phenomenal rookie season through 13 games. While McCain’s performance is not to be downplayed, he is not supposed to be the leading scorer in a game with Paul George and Joel Embiid playing more than 30 minutes.
The two all-stars once again struggled on the floor together. George scored 18 points but shot one for seven from three-point range, and Embiid put up only eleven points on eleven shots. The Sixers’ free-agent addition was a -17 when he was on the floor, while the former MVP was a -22. While Philadelphia will get Tyrese Maxey back from injury soon, these struggles are a significant concern. Nick Nurse’s team is scoring 104.5 points per game, the lowest average in the entire NBA.
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In addition, the 76ers have the second-lowest three-point percentage in the NBA, a dire warning for a franchise looking to contend in 2024. Philadelphia needs to raise this efficiency to live up to the hype it received over the offseason. The good news is that, along with Maxey’s return, Paul George and Joel Embiid should improve as they recover from their injuries. Also, if the Sixers want to start a long winning streak, they’ll have an opportunity to do so very soon.
After traveling to Memphis on Friday, Philadelphia has a three-game home stand. Those games come against the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Houston Rockets. Two road games at the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets follow this stretch. This part of the schedule is a section last year’s team would expect to go 5-0 in. A record below .500 over these five games could cause panic within the franchise.
Overall, how Philadelphia reacts to this team meeting is crucial. Because as President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey put it, the 76ers are following a “risky plan” this year—a plan that is all in on this core.
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