After signing Paul George final summer season, the Philadelphia 76ers had expectations of contending for a championship this season. As a substitute, after their sixth straight loss on Thursday evening — a 124-104 drubbing by the hands of the Boston Celtics — the Sixers discover themselves with a 20-35 file, good for the No. 11 seed within the Jap Convention. If the season ended right this moment, they wouldn’t even make the Play-In.
A part of the workforce’s struggles stem from the shortage of availability from former MVP Joel Embiid, who has performed simply 18 of the 55 video games this season. Embiid had meniscus surgical procedure on his left knee final February and returned to the courtroom in April, however he missed the primary 9 video games of this season as a result of administration of the identical knee.
Anybody who has watched Embiid play can instantly inform he isn’t the identical participant who was on tempo to have one of many biggest offensive seasons of all-time final yr earlier than his damage. His scoring common has dropped greater than 10 factors, from 34.7 a season in the past to 24.3 in 2024-25.
After Thursday evening’s loss, Embiid admitted that he merely doesn’t really feel the identical bodily, and as soon as once more steered that he might have a process in some unspecified time in the future to get again to his previous self.
“I don’t know, I’m sure you can figure it out,” Embiid mentioned. “The best way I used to be enjoying a yr in the past, shouldn’t be the way in which I’m enjoying proper now. It sucks, however I consider I in all probability want, you realize, to repair the issue, after which I’ll be again at that degree. Nevertheless it’s laborious to have the belief while you’re not your self.
“And yeah, I’m not as dominant as I was a couple of months ago, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t have a lot of impact on the game. Just me being out there I think helps a lot. You know, just my presence, ability to attract double-teams, getting guys more shots. But my dominant self, I’ll get there. It’s just tough because you know you can do so much more, but when it’s just — it’s no excuses, it’s just the way it is. Just got to keep finding ways to figure it out and get better.”
This sound byte is so extremely unhappy. Embiid is basically describing himself as a decoy, since his illnesses received’t permit him to carry out on the degree to which he’s accustomed. It poses a troublesome query for each Embiid and the 76ers: Ought to he end the season at an admittedly diminished degree, or ought to he shut issues down and go for surgical procedure now with hopes that he’ll be 100% to start 2025-26?
76ers’ Joel Embiid clarifies knee surgical procedure feedback: ‘If it gets worse, then you’ve bought to do one thing’
James Herbert
Realists would have a look at Philadelphia’s place within the Jap Convention and argue the latter. Even when the 76ers can get into and survive the Play-In, they’re taking a look at a first-round matchup with both the Celtics or the 45-10 Cleveland Cavaliers. With a restricted Embiid, and George “taking some sorts of medicines to play through pain,” it could be sensible to easily money it in and begin recent subsequent season.
However then once more, if Embiid is ready to get someplace at the least near 100% through the remaining stretch of the season and probably into the playoffs, he poses some of the distinctive matchup issues in the whole NBA. It will be laborious to utterly rely the 76ers out, however given Embiid’s feedback it looks as if which will merely be a fantasy at this level.
