Before the 2024-25 season, the Philadelphia 76ers had a relatively successful offseason by luring Paul George to Philly in free agency. However, it looks like the Sixers aren’t getting the same George that flaunted his All-Star form in the previous years. Moreover, an often injured Joel Embiid, followed by the absence of Jared McCain, has placed the final nail in the coffin for the 76ers’ fading playoff hopes.
With the second half of the season already ongoing, the 76ers’ fatal flaw that must be fixed after the 2025 NBA All-Star break is their tendency to over-rely on the team’s injury-riddled veterans.
Failure of the Paul George-Joel Embiid experiment
After making a splash in the offseason by prying away George from the Los Angeles Clippers, the 76ers looked like a solid contender in the Eastern Conference. With the duo of George and Embiid, the 76ers were expected to be threats to the Boston Celtics’ title defense. But fast forward to today, the All-Star duo has disappointed big time. George hasn’t looked like his old self, averaging only 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting only 43.2% from the field overall. On the other hand, Embiid has struggled to stay available for the team.
Apart from injuries, George has also been poor on the court. Sixers fans expressed their frustration against the nine-time NBA All-Star, especially when he tallied only two points on 1-of-7 shooting in a 100-96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Although he recently announced a hiatus for Podcast P, it’s gonna take a Herculean effort to turn around the 76ers season this late.
Furthermore, Embiid has rarely seen the floor this season for Philadelphia. In fact, the 2023 NBA MVP has missed a total of 38 games already this year. He’s expected to miss more games after dealing with some issues around his knee. But whenever he was healthy, the team hasn’t played very well either, as the 76ers are 8-11 whenever he saw action. Embiid is also averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game this season, which amounts to a slight dip compared to his past seasons.
The duo carried high expectations into the 2024-25 season. However, even with no shortage of star power, Philadelphia finds itself on the brink of not only missing a playoff berth but also a shot at the Play-In Tournament. Whether they make it or not, it doesn’t look like the Sixers have enough gas left in the tank to salvage the season.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been ravaged by injuries
Although not a veteran, rookie McCain’s injury has got to be the biggest blow on the team. But given that his promising rookie campaign was cut short by a season-ending surgery on his knee, Nick Nurse has been forced to play his veterans harder in the hopes of turning the season around. Unfortunately, that move hasn’t yielded the right results.
A major issue with relying too much on grizzled veterans to carry a team is injuries. Embiid’s absence has taken a toll on the team and having him at less than full health has forced the team to parade a depleted roster for the most part. On the other hand, George also missed his fair share of games at 19, as he revealed that he resorted to injections to allow him to play through a finger injury.
Other NBA veterans, Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, also have their own respective injuries. In fact, the latter will go under a knife to repair his wrist injury, putting him out indefinitely. Injuries have played a major part in the Sixers’ disappointing season. However, it’s still not a valid excuse, given the amount of star power the team has.
It’s time to start leaning on the youth movement
With the 76ers sitting at the 12th seed with a measly 20-38 win-loss card, it’s gonna be a long shot to even chase the Chicago Bulls, who are at the 10th seed, for a spot at the Play-In Tournament. With the season becoming a lost cause, a good way for Philadelphia to make use of the rest of the season is to develop their younger players.
Apart from an injured McCain, the team still has Tyrese Maxey and a promising center in Adem Bona. Philadelphia also got a lot younger during the season. They developed Justin Edwards from a two-way contract and signed former first-round pick at the 2018 NBA Draft, Lonnie Walker IV. In addition to these players, the Sixers also have Jared Butler and Alex Reese to usher in a youth movement.
By now, it’s getting more and more obvious that the Process era has been dubbed as a failure. While Embiid, the lone holdover from that era, elevated Philadelphia into a legitimate contender, the franchise likely won’t be winning any championships with him at the helm. With his struggles against injuries, the 76ers are better off looking toward the future. Fortunately, the team already has some young assets to work with.
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