I noticed this put up making the rounds at the socials the opposite day, and it caught with me: “In all probability the one true pearl of knowledge I’ve heard from 94WIP, ever: The Philadelphia 76ers are a PR company, now not a basketball crew.”
With the correct hat tip to that nameless WIP host or caller, I believe the comparability is apt. 4 weeks into the common season, 76ers statements and harm updates outpace wins at the basketball courtroom more or less 50 to two.
It’s all about phrases with this crew. What they’re pronouncing, what’s being stated about their famous person participant, and when the following replace on any person’s availability will probably be.
The most recent remark from on top took the type of a cagey admission from trainer Nick Nurse an hour after the 76ers lifelessly gave away a 19-point lead in a 106-89 loss on the Miami Warmth past due Monday night time.
“Sorry for the extend. We simply had somewhat assembly. … Gained’t get into specifics of that assembly, however glad to reply to any questions concerning the sport,” Nurse stated.
Joel Embiid saved the main points of the assembly personal, pretending he didn’t know the 76ers had one, and the web overreacted accordingly.
However I will’t blame basketball lovers for now not taking Embiid or Nurse or the Sixers severely. Now 2-11 and enjoying some strangely horrendous basketball, it is a crew with none glaring answers, and the consistent hoopla about who’s enjoying, who’s harm and who’s resting makes them ripe for mockery.
The Philadelphia Inquirer were given itself entangled with the Embiid harm saga previous this month when debatable columnist Marcus Hayes made the deficient determination to glue Embiid’s willingness to turn as much as paintings to his son and his past due brother. This used to be adopted via essentially the most bafflingly phrased live-tweeting of a locker room altercation we’ll ever see from beat author Keith Pompey.
However as mad as lovers need to be about Embiid’s resulting suspension (for shoving, now not assaulting, Hayes), the Inquirer didn’t create the 76ers’ terrible get started.
Right here’s which spaces of the sport the 76ers are dangerous at: The whole thing.
They rank remaining within the NBA in scoring (103.3 ppg), assists (21.2 in step with sport), and efficient box function proportion (49.6%). They rank twenty ninth in 3-point capturing (31.6%) and rebounding proportion (46.5%). They’re twenty eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.46), and whilst Philadelphia’s protection charges as middle-of-the-pack, the rim coverage is past susceptible. A crew rostering Embiid shouldn’t fee twenty ninth in blocks and twenty seventh in issues in step with shot allowed on the rim.
So let’s discuss Embiid, who in fact used to be indexed as unsure for the Miami sport with an sickness sooner than he suited as much as play.
Probably the most constructive Sixers fan would possibly nonetheless argue that the crew has now not performed a unmarried sport with their new giant 3—Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George—wholesome on the identical time, and issues can flip round once they’re all again. However within the 5 video games Philadelphia has had two of the ones 3 in combination, it’s long past 0-5! It doesn’t precisely encourage self belief.
Embiid on Monday had his worst output since past due within the 2020-21 season, scoring simply 11 issues in 31 mins, and he didn’t get to the foul line a unmarried time. Kyle Lowry has began the remaining six video games with Maxey out and made a grand general of six box objectives in that point.
The silver lining for Sixers lovers is Jared McCain, who’s discovering his manner well in his rookie yr. But if your first-round draft select is main you in issues in step with ownership, it’s nearly like a backhanded praise to the remainder of your roster.
All informed, Monday’s crew assembly used to be a drop within the bucket within the noise surrounding the 76ers. They’ll be directly to one thing new the following day, or every time we get the following replace on Maxey’s hamstring. However one thing tells me all 3 stars getting wholesome concurrently isn’t sufficient to unravel the core issues of this franchise.
