The Sixers Now
By: Padraig Smith
Troubling Uncertainty
This current season has been rough and unpleasant with the 76ers facing numerous challenges early in the season, including various injuries, an overall lack of rhythm, and clashes between teammates. However, the young Tyrese Maxey has remained optimistic, insisting that the team would turn things around. Through the numerous struggles of this season, Maxey has risen above it all and proven himself to be a key leader in this organization. Despite still being a fairly young player Maxey has consistently led the team in hard times even when the locker room was in shambles. To Maxey’s credit, the team has been improving especially with their win over the Celtics on Christmas day. The team’s big three (Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George) have had limited time together playing all at once which greatly affected their ability to win on the court. When this team is fully healthy and playing at its best it’s almost unstoppable and has the talent to win games. All three of these players are very talented it’s just they can never play at the same time. The team recently has been starting to pick up some much-needed rhythm and breathe a little life into this season. Now as a team, these guys are great but let’s take a look at them individually.
Tyrese Maxey:
Maxey has become the symbol of hope for this team the life and blood of the organization is in this young star. Recently earned his second career NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 32.3 points, 8.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game against the San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, and Utah Jazz. He shot 46.5% from the field and 39.4% from three-point range. Maxey emphasized that the team beginning to move in the right direction with a series of wins was more important than recognition. He became the first 76er since Joel Embiid in January 2023 to win the award. Maxey has kept this time together through thick and thin no matter what. He’s unarguably the most important player on this team right now. Without him, this team wouldn’t be looking nearly as good as it is
Joel Embiid:
Embiid has had numerous issues this season with injuries, ejections, and suspensions. He has not been the reliable and loved player he once was. He consistently has refused to play over injuries that almost seem made up at times. To many it just looks like he doesn’t want to work for the millions of dollars we’re paying him. Talking to people today about Embiid leaves a sour taste in people’s mouths and some people have lost a lot of hope in him. He hasn’t been great this season on and off the court with stupid mistakes on both sides. But he has managed to start to turn things around a little bit. He had his fourth double-double of the season against the Brooklyn Nets posting 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists while unfortunately only playing three-quarters of the entire game. Embiid has missed a lot of games this season, more than he should for the amount of money we’re paying to keep him. But in his last couple of games, he’s been playing fairly solid averaging 30.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 50% from the field.
Paul George:
George hasn’t had a great start in Philly so far this season. He started this season injured, which left a not-so-great first impression on Philly fans. He has been struggling with his shooting, particularly from three-point range, where he’s missed 21 of his last 25 shots, putting his average at a measly 16%. Overall, his shooting has dropped off the edge too, with a 29.1% field goal rate over his last couple of games. His low scoring average of just 15.9 points per game has been his lowest since 2014-15. Despite all this coach Nick Nurse and his teammates still feel confident in his ability to grow and fit into the 76ers playstyle. Many Philly fans alike hope that this is just a slump from coming off of injury and being in a new place with a new team.
Jared McCain:
Jared McCain is the future of this team hands down. He is the best rookie in the league right now despite his season-ending injury. I think he has a bright future with this team and could be a future star player. With help from players like Tyrese Maxey, I think he’s only going to get better and better as the years come by, but first, we have to hope that his injury doesn’t affect him for the rest of his career. When he was active he averaged 15.3 points per game (leading all rookies) and 2.6 assists per game in a total of 23 games. He showed skill in all aspects of the game whether it be scoring, playmaking, or attacking the basket. He had a solid 38.3% shooting from the field and a 5.8% in the three-point shot per game. Sadly his lateral meniscus tear will leave him sidelined for the rest of the season. Yet, the future looks bright with this rookie at its helm.
The 76ers Undecided Future
These players have all brought something to the table and at their greatest of moments have made some fantastic plays and won some important games. But the rest of the season depends on if we can rebuild from here. We need to start getting on a roll and winning multiple games in a row to make up for the losses we sustained earlier in the season. I wouldn’t say the playoffs are completely out of sight. There’s still a chance we could make a playoff run but hopes are down right now. For us to have a chance to set things straight our guys need to get their act together. No more sitting out of games, no more whining, and no complaining these boys need to put their heads to the grindstone and get stuff done. This bad start to the season hasn’t doomed us, but it’s a step in the wrong direction for this franchise and everything “the progress” hoped to create.
