The Philadelphia 76ers were supposed to be a championship contender this season. Instead, Philly is tied for the worst record in the NBA out of the starting gates, falling to 1-6 on the year after another loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
It is no secret why the Sixers are struggling: Joel Embiid still hasn’t played a game as he works his way back from what the team is calling “left knee management.” Paul George also missed games at the start of the season with his own knee injury, though he returned to the lineup this week. With Embiid finally scheduled to debut on Tuesday vs. the New York Knicks, the Sixers were dealt another horrible injury blow in the form of star guard Tyrese Maxey’s strained hamstring.
Maxey is expected to miss at least two weeks after exiting the Clippers game with a hamstring injury. Here’s the latest update from ESPN’s Shams Charania:
The Sixers are in big trouble. Yes, there’s than 70 games remaining in the season. Yes, the Eastern Conference is trash once again. Embiid might be coming back, but there are some serious problems in Philadelphia that threaten to derail this season before it ever really begins.
Embiid has spoken about the mental hurdle he’s experiencing coming back from this injury. To this point, it’s impossible to know what kind of condition he’s in. Embiid seemingly misses half his games every year, and he’s been battling knee and back injuries since he came into the league in 2014. Those are scary injuries for a 7-foot, 280-pound center who turns 31 years old in March. The wear-and-tear on Embiid’s body is never going away, and the Sixers’ season has started so poorly that the idea of purely “saving him for the playoffs” now feels far-fetched.
The Sixers need Embiid to be available and carry the team while Maxey is out. Maxey emerged as an ascendant star and perfect fit next to Embiid last year, using his superhuman speed to give a jolt to what had been a stagnant Philadelphia offense. When the Sixers signed Paul George this summer, it was supposed to form a tailor-made “big three” that would allow Embiid some nights off, but George’s own pesky injury has slowed him down, too.
There is of course no replacement for a talent like Embiid, but the stars’ injuries have exposed a lack of depth on the Sixers. Caleb Martin can’t hit a shot right now, with a 44.9 true shooting percentage that is way below league average. Kelly Oubre Jr. has been a little better, but he’s still only shooting 30 percent from three on the year and has 12 turnovers to only eight assists thus far. Kyle Lowry (who has been very good) and Eric Gordon just feel too old to rely on for big minutes every night.
The Sixers’ margin for error is shrinking rapidly. While it’s too early to start worrying about the 2025 NBA Draft yet, Philly also has a unique situation with his own pick.
The Sixers’ 2025 first-round draft pick is traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it’s top-6 protected. Philly is currently tied for the best odds for the No. 1 pick, but that won’t last once Embiid comes back. The question is if Embiid suffers an injury set-back, or if George or Maxey face more extended absences … is there a scenario where the Sixers would punt on the season to try to keep their pick?
To be clear, there’s still way too much basketball left for that kind of talk. Nothing about the Sixers’ big picture has really changed after 2+ weeks of the new season: if Embiid (especially) and George are healthy for the playoffs, Philly is going to be a very tough out for any team. Even at 1-6, the Sixers still have some championship equity that many teams way higher up in the standings can’t match.
The margins are just getting slimmer by the day for the Sixers. With Maxey out for a couple weeks at least, Philly needs to show it can win games immediately before their place in the standings really starts to get scary.
