The conventional wisdom is that NBA seasons are long and full of inevitable ups and downs.
To start this season, the 2-12 Sixers have done almost nothing but tumble straight down a steep hill, with gruesome results. It now appears they’ll have to defy gravity to change the story of an absurd, miserable season.
The Wizards, who are on a nine-game losing streak and have four players 20 years old or younger averaging at least 25 minutes per game, sport a better record than the Sixers. Every NBA team does.
As has long been the case during Joel Embiid’s time in Philadelphia, injury misfortune has been rampant. Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have played once together ... technically. George exited the Sixers’ loss Wednesday night to the Grizzlies with a hyperextended left knee.
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The clichés about chemistry and rhythm being harder to build on injury-plagued teams are true.
“Different group playing every night,” George said after a defeat last week to the Magic. “It’s still an ongoing process of figuring all this out for everyone. But again, it’s no excuse. We’ve got to get better and we all understand that. But I do think we’ll get to a point where we’ll find an identity. … It’s unfortunate it’s taken a little time.
“Time is not on our side. But, at the same time, I don’t think it’s panic mode still for us. We’ve just got to continue to put in the work. It’s not going to be easy but with this group, I think once we find a flow and a rhythm, it will be great for us in the long run.”
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Embiid, for all his near-automatic dominance when available over the years, has never exuded steady, dependable leadership. Maxey reportedly called out Embiid’s habits and tardiness at a team meeting Monday night.
What good habits are the Sixers building? The team ranks second in defensive turnover percentage, but that’s been the only consistent positive for a middling defense. The Sixers have the NBA’s worst offensive rating, they’re subpar on both the defensive and offensive glass, and it’s not remotely hyperbolic to say that rookie Jared McCain has been their most reliable player the last two weeks. He’s hit the 20-point mark in each of his last six games and displayed extraordinary poise, shooting ability and adaptability.
Outside of Guerschon Yabusele, who’s playing NBA basketball for the first time since 2019, every Sixers veteran has performed below expectations. That includes head coach Nick Nurse, who’s generally failed to pick effective Plans B, C and D or fix in-game problems. The Sixers have a minus-17.8 net rating in second quarters and a minus 17.7 net rating in third quarters.
The Sixers entered the season with the league’s oldest average age, according to NBA.com. None of president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s ultra-experienced offseason pickups have thrived.
The 34-year-old George has shot poorly (38.3 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from three-point range) and exceeded 20 points once. After re-signing with the Sixers, Kyle Lowry has again played more minutes than Nurse initially envisioned and, at 38 years old, missed 21 of his last 23 three-point attempts. He’s out with a right hip strain. Eric Gordon, 35, has a 49.3 true shooting percentage that would be the lowest of his career. Reggie Jackson, 34, has mostly been outside of the Sixers’ rotation.
Perhaps the Sixers will grab firm control of everything they can — crisper, cleaner offense, savvy defensive schemes, hustle plays galore. And their luck may very well flip in the form of sustained health and hot outside shooting.
Will it all happen? At the moment, the Sixers seem devoid of a stable foundation as they keep going down and down and down some more.
