Let’s not sugar coat it, the situation at the Philadelphia 76ers is seriously dire.
The team started the season without new recruit Paul George and star big man Joel Embiid. Then, Tyrese Maxey went down with a hamstring injury and is yet to return.
Before he even stepped on the court this season, Embiid was given a technical foul for throwing a towel at a ref and banned for three games for shoving a journalist.
Since then, things have somehow gotten worse.
Philly are tied with the Wizards for the worse record in the league (2-11). Keep in mind, this was a team that was coming into the year as one of the championship favorites beside Boston.
2-11 came after a a 17-point loss in Miami – a game where both Embiid and George were playing and it wasn’t as though the 6-7 Heat were presenting a huge challenge.
Beyond that, things in the locker room are not at all harmonious.
Kyle Lowry called a team meeting, which Shams Charania described as “a much-needed heart-to-heart and a call to action and urgency.”
He also revealed that Maxey called out Embiid.
“In the meeting, Maxey challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities, calling out the former league MVP about being late ‘for everything’ and how it impacts the locker room, from other players to the coaching staff,” Charania said of the 76ers.
Yahoo Sports gave further insight on the situation:
““Tyrese is probably the only one who could have that conversation with Embiid,” a source said. “It wasn’t yelling or screaming, they have a genuine relationship. Sometimes hard conversations strengthen those relationships.
“But it begs, in some ways, why Nurse or general manager Daryl Morey haven’t stepped up to challenge Embiid to be more accountable, leaving the onus to Maxey. By all accounts, Maxey isn’t an in-your-face type, but perhaps he felt implored after years of being around Embiid to be vocal.”
Let’s not forget, Embiid, who has played in three games this season, is making and eye-watering $51,415,938 this season.
It’s getting to the stage where the team need to talk about trading the 2023 MVP and building a team around Maxey instead.