The Philadelphia 76ers were supposed to be a championship contender after signing Paul George to a four-year max contract in free agency. George joined 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey for a tailor-made ‘big three’ pairing that felt destined to be a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
One month into the season, the 76ers are the worst team in the NBA. Just about everything that can go wrong has gone wrong, and now Philly’s stars are starting to blame each other.
The Sixers fell to 2-11 on the season after losing to the Miami Heat on Monday night. Embiid played in his just his third game of the season coming back from a mysterious knee injury, but once again looked extremely limited in his play. George had another off game in what’s been a disappointing start, and Maxey remains out with a hamstring injury.
After the game, the Sixers held a team meeting. It included Maxey calling out Embiid for being late to team activities. ESPN insider Shams Charania has the details:
Maxey challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities, calling out the 2022-23 league MVP about being late “for everything” and how it impacts the locker room, from other players to the coaching staff, sources briefed on the meeting told ESPN.
Charania reports that Embiid “was not seen by most teammates and coaches throughout the day before appearing for warmups.” Here was Embiid’s response to being called out by Maxey:
Embiid accepted the messages sent in the meeting, sources said, but he stated that he is sometimes confused about what the 76ers are attempting to execute on the court.
Embiid, George, and Maxey have not played in a game together this year. Embiid looked slow and tentative against the Heat, finishing with 11 points in 31 minutes. The Sixers are tied for the fewest wins in the NBA with the Washington Wizards right now, but their saving grace is that the Eastern Conference is so bad that they still have plenty of time to make up ground.
Here’s how fans reacted to the report about the Embiid:
10 years in the league, making $50 million, you should be able to be counted on to be on time and in shape
Glad Tyrese called him out.
— Mike O’Connor (@MOConnor_NBA) November 19, 2024
Joel’s gotta feel some sense of ownership with this whole thing. The stakes are enormous here not only him but for the team in general. You’re the face of the franchise and your team is 2-11, bordering on wasting a season where you had title aspirations.
In a moment like this…
— Mike O’Connor (@MOConnor_NBA) November 19, 2024
Really disappointing that professionalism is still an issue for Joel Embiid after a decade with the #sixers.
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) November 19, 2024
The wheels are coming off quickly for the Sixers. There’s still time left to right the ship, but their margin for error is shrinking by the day. If Embiid doesn’t get healthy and return to his MVP level soon, Philly’s season will be toast.