There was a buzz around the Sixers after they took down the Charlotte Hornets a couple weeks ago.
Paul George was back from suspension and looked spry. Joel Embiid had another hot start and came up with a huge block late. Tyrese Maxey came back sooner than expected from his right pinky tendon strain. Nick Nurse pushed the right buttons and the role players did their part. The Sixers looked more like the team Daryl Morey had envisioned two years ago.
Reality struck quickly with the Sixers laying an
absolute egg in Miami a couple nights later, but things still appeared to be trending upward. Guys were healthy. Vibes were high. It made people wonder what this Sixers team could be if they could just make the playoffs.
Then it all came crashing down Thursday afternoon with news that Embiid had appendicitis and would require surgery ahead of the Sixers’ biggest game of the season. Who knows how long the season would’ve lasted, but this feels like the unofficial end to any fun thoughts.
When you look at teams ahead of matchups, you’re looking for stats and trends. What are their offensive and defensive ratings? What lineups do they use and which are most successful? How do they do at home vs. the road? What’s their record against teams above .500?
With the Sixers, you could throw every single one of those things out the window. Embiid and George missed large chunks of the season. They also dealt with minutes restrictions. Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Dominick Barlow all missed a decent amount of games. Their most durable and reliable player has ironically been rookie VJ Edgecombe, who will likely play 75 regular-season games (all starts) in his first year.
It made the Sixers nearly an impossible evaluation. The team we saw against the Hornets basically existed for one night in Charlotte. And it’s not as simple as they had one great game. It was the only game this season where they had their full complement of players, everyone was healthy and nobody was on any type of restriction. If you’ll recall, the game in Miami was the first time Embiid complained of an “illness,” which was quite possibly the beginning of his appendicitis.
That’s not to say the Sixers were poised to be a championship contender. At best, they could’ve captured the six seed. They would’ve taken on the New York Knicks as a (deserved) underdog and probably lost.
But who knows? The Knicks are far from invincible. Maybe they could’ve pulled off the upset. Maybe they could’ve taken a few games and made things interesting. What would Embiid do with two functioning knees? How would George look, now finally healthy? How would the backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe perform in their first postseason together?
These are intriguing questions. Maybe the Sixers wouldn’t have liked the answers, but it would’ve been better to find out, especially after watching incredibly non-competitive basketball for most of last season.
If the 2024-25 Sixers get an F (they absolutely do), then the 2025-26 Sixers get an I for incomplete. Where does that leave things? Well, something has to change. If you’re going to keep Embiid and George (and there is little recourse to move both, barring something unforeseen), you need to find a way to win games without them. Maybe you can’t be on a 50-win pace without them, but a 40-win pace should be doable.
Personnel changes need to happen. First order of business is fortifying the center position. Adem Bona is a worthwhile player to develop, but you need a big-bodied option at the five who can rebound and protect the rim. You don’t need a world-beater — just a guy who can set good screens, roll hard and finish at the rim, affect players at the basket and not get crushed on the glass. That archetype of player is not hard to find. That guy being below the age of 30 would also be a plus.
The Sixers could also use more pop off the bench. Morey made it clear that re-signing Quentin Grimes is a priority. Should it be? Grimes’ season has had many more valleys than peaks. Is that a guy you want to throw a bunch of money? What about Oubre? He’s coming off a great season, but he was dinged up and is now on the wrong side of 30. It’s also worth noting he’s now the third-longest tenured Sixer. Morey doesn’t tend to value continuity and locker room vibes. Maybe he should in the case of Oubre (if Morey is still here).
It’s also been a pretty disappointing season for Nurse. Yes, he’s been dealt nothing but crummy hands the last two seasons, but what advantages has he created for the Sixers on nights when they’re shorthanded or in close games? It feels like it could be time for a new voice and new offensive and defensive schemes, which will fit the team’s personnel better.
For now, another season ends with a slew of what-ifs and a bunch of offseason questions.
Same as it ever was.
