Philadelphia 76ers

Despite a nightmarish start to the 2024-25 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly not yet ready to throttle down in an attempt to keep their 2025 first-round draft pick.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, league sources don't believe the Sixers will make a "full-on attempt" to keep their pick due largely to the fact that they have hardly had their best lineup available.

The Sixers traded their 2025 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but since it is top-six protected, it will only convey to OKC if the pick ends up being outside the top six.

Although the 76ers are a hugely disappointing 3-14, Joel Embiid and Paul George have both missed significant time due to injury, and they have only been on the court with guard Tyrese Maxey for a total of six minutes so far this season.

Most of Embiid's missed time has been due to management of a knee injury that cost him about half of last season. Meanwhile, George has hyperextended his knee twice this season.

Of the 17 games the Sixers have played this season, Embiid has been active for only four of them, and George has played in eight.

Even Maxey missed six games with a hamstring injury, although he is leading the team with 25.7 points per game to go along with 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

Philly's stars missing so much time has allowed for rookie guard Jared McCain to emerge as an important contributor and a top Rookie of the Year candidate, plus the likes of Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin and Guerschon Yabusele have taken on significant roles.

That could prove to be a positive as the season progresses if the 76ers get healthy and start stringing enough wins together to get back in the playoff race.

While the Eastern Conference boasts some top-end teams such as the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, only five teams in the entire conference have a winning record.

As a result, the Sixers are only four games out of the No. 10 seed, which is the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Per Bontemps, many across the NBA have talked about how badly the 76ers would have to bottom out before they consider packing it in and playing for next season, but the overall weakness of the East means they could remain in the race for quite some time.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst spoke with an anonymous NBA executive who expressed their belief that Embiid's health will "inform their moves" and whether the Sixers make attempts to add to their roster this season.

As of now, the Sixers have the second-worst record in the NBA ahead of only the 2-15 Washington Wizards.

While being the worst team doesn't guarantee the top pick due to the NBA draft lottery, the 76ers could be compelled to give themselves the best chance possible at the No. 1 overall selection due to the high-end talent available in the 2025 draft.

Duke's Cooper Flagg is the likely top pick and is widely viewed as a superstar in the making, while the Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper could go with the next two picks and are highly touted in their own right.

Adding any of them to a core of Embiid, George and Maxey could be the best possible thing for the Sixers in terms of making them contenders next season and beyond.

However, given that the 76ers have failed to get past the second round of the playoffs in any of their seven consecutive postseason appearances, there is a sense of urgency to win now, and that could potentially compel them to play to win rather than building for the future.

Philadelphia 76ers fans aren't the only ones seeing Jared McCain's rookie success as the lone positive of the 2024-25 season so far.

"Except for McCain, everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong," a Sixers team source told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

McCain has played his way into the starting lineup while averaging 16.6 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the field through 16 games.

With both Joel Embiid and Paul George limited to start the season, his breakout performance hasn't been enough to stop the Sixers from falling to 14th in the East with a 3-13 season-opening record.

The Sixers' star trio of George, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey has started just one game together this season during last Wednesday's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Maxey missed six games in early November with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, George missed the start of the year after hyperextending his knee during the preseason, only to suffer a bone bruise on the same knee against the Grizzlies.

Embiid, who was also out for the beginning of the season due to left knee injury management and a three-game suspension, has recently been sidelined due to swelling in his knee.

Maxey has played in 10 of the Sixers' 16 games so far this season. George has appeared in eight, while Embiid has played in four.

The injuries aren't the only problems the 76ers are facing. ESPN's Shams Charania reported after the team's 2-11 start that the Sixers had a "team meeting" during which Maxey called out Embiid for arriving late to team events.

Embiid went on to say that whoever had told ESPN about the meeting was a "real piece of s--t." According to Shelburne, sources said the report was "further exacerbating the tension and lack of trust in the locker room."

Then there is McCain, who saw his minutes increase amid injuries to Maxey and Kyle Lowry and has started six straight games for the Sixers. He has averaged over 25 points per game through those starts, including a 30-spot last Friday that led to him announcing his Rookie of the Year campaign.

The Sixers will hope for another big performance from McCain as the team prepares to take on the Houston Rockets without either George or Embiid. Both are set to miss their third straight game on Wednesday night.

While the Philadelphia 76ers' team meeting held last week following a fourth consecutive loss was supposed to bring everyone closer together, it reportedly had the opposite effect.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the fact that details of the meeting leaked to the public "further [exacerbated] the tension and lack of trust in the locker room."

ESPN's Shams Charania broke some news regarding the meeting with the biggest bombshell being guard Tyrese Maxey calling out superstar center Joel Embiid for being late "for everything" and negatively impacting the locker room as a result.

Charania added that Embiid and Maxey have a "close friendship" and have no issue "holding each other accountable," so Embiid "accepted the messages" conveyed to him during the meeting.

However, once the subject of his tardiness went public, Embiid made it clear that he wasn't happy about it, telling reporters: "Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s--t. But even then, we talked about a lot of things. I don't want to get into the details, but that whole thing probably took 30 seconds."

A league source later told NBA insider Jake Fischer that Embiid was "furious" and intended to "try and find the Sixers' supposed snitch."

That leak was seemingly only the tip of the iceberg for Embiid, as Sam Amick of The Athletic appeared Monday on FanDuel's Run It Back (h/t HoopsHype) to provide some further insight.

"I'll be honest guys, I knew that his professionalism had been questioned consistently around the league, and within the organization."@sam_amick on questions surrounding Joel Embiid's reputation.@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons
📺: https://t.co/4kXYMoAe6s pic.twitter.com/wKtsEdQtgh

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 25, 2024

Amick suggested that Embiid's behind-the-scenes issues were not a new phenomenon, saying: "I'll be honest guys, I knew that his professionalism had been questioned consistently around the league, and within the organization."

This season has undoubtedly been a frustrating one for the 30-year-old Embiid, who has missed 12 of the Sixers' 16 games due primarily to knee injury management.

A knee injury cost Embiid about half of last season as well, and he clearly wasn't the same player when he returned, shooting just 44.4 percent from the field in six playoff games.

Given the 76ers' inability to get past the second round of the playoffs despite reaching the postseason in seven straight years, they got aggressive during the offseason by signing Paul George.

The trio of Embiid, Maxey and George was expected to make the Sixers big-time contenders in the Eastern Conference, but instead, Philly has been one of the worst teams in the league this season with a 3-13 record.

Both Embiid and George missing time due to injury has clearly contributed to the team's struggles, and playing losing basketball has likely resulted in other issues bubbling to the surface as well.

The 76ers have lost six of their past seven games and are in the midst of a complete tailspin, but they have a chance to enter the two-day Thanksgiving break with at least some momentum on their side if they can beat the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Amid a disappointing start to the season for star center Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, an NBA insider shined some light on the franchise's previous attempts to avoid this current predicament.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, "The team and Embiid had sought half a dozen medical opinions before signing him to a three-year, $192.7 extension this September, sources said, and all of those consulted believed his knee could be adequately managed by a combination of strategic rest and procedures to promote healing, which Embiid has been regularly undergoing since last season."

Shelburne added that sources said both the Sixers and Embiid "hoped his troublesome knee would be healthy enough to start the season," but things obviously have not gone as planned.

Embiid sat out the start of the 2024-25 season due to left knee injury management and has played sporadically since his season debut. When he's been on the court, he's performed well below his MVP level with averages of 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in four games. It's his first time averaging under 20 points in his career and his first time averaging less than 10 rebounds since his first year in 2016-17.

Thanks to Embiid's frequent absences and injuries to other key players like Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers are off to a 3-13 start to the season, the second-worst record in the league. George, who signed a four-year deal with Philadelphia this offseason after starring for the Los Angeles Clippers, is sidelined for the second time this year with a knee injury. Maxey recently returned from a hamstring injury, but the team has still struggled to get back on track.

The Sixers were hoping to manage Embiid throughout the year to help him be healthy for the playoffs, but they need to avoid digging themselves further into an early-season hole that could hurt their title hopes.

Philadelphia will be back in action on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets (13-6).

After years of being persona non grata to Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons tried to reach a breakthrough with his former teammate before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Simmons "reached out" to Embiid and others during the summer in an attempt to "mend fences" between the two sides.

Shelburne did note that any talk of a reunion between Simmons and the 76ers is considered "unlikely," but you can never rule anything out.

The relationship between the two men during their four seasons as teammates was particularly fraught with tension.

After the Sixers traded Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022, Embiid told reporters that winning wasn't the top priority for the veteran point guard.

"It's unfortunate winning was not the biggest factor," Embiid said of Simmons. "It's unfortunate that for him having his own team and, I guess, being a star was more his priorities."

Before the start of the 2022-23 season, Simmons told ESPN's Nick Friedell that he and Embiid "never really spoke" when they played together:

"I don't think there was really a relationship there. Like in terms of a friendship? You can try as hard as you want to try to be close to somebody, be their friend, whatever it is, but everyone is different as people, so for me, it's never personal. I don't have any anger or hate towards him. He is who he is and I am who I am. And we've got our personal lives. And work is basketball, so in that moment, my goal is to win and I got to win with Jo. He's a great player, we just didn't get it done."

Embiid did eventually soften his stance toward Simmons, calling him "one that got away" during an appearance on Tyrese Maxey's podcast in December 2023 (h/t David Early of Liberty Ballers).

The 76ers are in free fall right now, to the point where they could probably use a backup point guard with Simmons' skill set to give their offense some juice. Their big three of Embiid, Maxey and Paul George has played a total of six minutes together so far this season.

Philadelphia's 3-13 record is the second-worst in the NBA, ahead of only the Washington Wizards (2-14).

Simmons has been healthy to start this season after a back injury limited him to 13 games during the 2023-24 campaign. He is averaging 5.3 points, 6.5 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in 13 appearances for the Nets.

Even though Simmons is far from being the All-Star guard he was at his peak with the Sixers, the fact that he's returned to being a useful player given how many injury issues he's had over the past three years is a victory in itself.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the Nets try to explore trade options for Simmons during the season. He is in the final season of his contract with a $40.3 million expiring salary.

Over the last decade, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry has emerged as one of the biggest influences on the next generation of NBA players.

His influence is evident in Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain.

Amid a fantastic start to his career, McCain told The Athletic's Tony Jones how Curry has inspired his game.

"He's always been my favorite player in the league," McCain said. "Steph influenced so many people, including me, in my generation. When I was growing up, I wanted to shoot 3s from as far away as I could."

McCain has the makings to become a Curry-level shooter, making 40 percent of his shots from deep through 16 games. But it's not just his range that is reminiscent of Curry, it's also his off-ball abilities.

"I think I watched him more off the ball than on the ball," he said. "I watched the way he relocates after he passes it. I watched the way he's able to sprint around the court. I think I'm in really good shape, and I get my feet set fast. So those are some things that I think I can use to my advantage to get shots off."

Jared McCain looking Steph-like on back-to-back plays pic.twitter.com/eIsRKwMO7f

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) November 23, 2024

The NBA will likely never see another player like Curry, the league's all-time leader in three-pointers made, but as time goes on more players will mirror his style. McCain is a prime example of that.

The 16th pick in the 2024 NBA draft has been a bright spot in an otherwise dull season for Philadelphia. He's putting up 16.6 points per game and is making a strong case to be the NBA's Rookie of the Year.

Paul George remains confident the Philadelphia 76ers can right the ship this season amid their turbulent start.

Injuries have been a persistent issue for the Sixers, with George and fellow star Joel Embiid missing long stretches. The veteran wing told reporters Tuesday the team can at least control its "effort and energy" on a given night, and focusing on that can make a big difference.

"I mean, obviously, we're a little limited, but I think what we can control is just our effort, our energy, and just doing things a little harder, but we'll change this," he said. We'll change this around. I'm 100 percent betting down on that that we'll change this. It's on us. We got to control what we can."

In nearly any other situation, a 3-13 record to this point would have a team already looking toward the draft lottery. Philadelphia, however, can't afford to throw this year away when it built this roster with championship aspirations.

Some reason for optimism remains.

Five games separate the Sixers from the fifth-place Miami Heat. One hot stretch could be the difference between the bottom of the Eastern Conference and a top-six position.

We've yet to really see them at full strength, too, with their stars in and out of the lineup so much. The trio of George, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have logged a total of six minutes together, per NBA.com.

A more critical assessment of the 76ers starts with the fact George and Embiid simply can't stay healthy.

George, who missed the first five games, made eight appearances before hyperextending the same knee that kept him out of action. Embiid had a similarly brief return to the court thanks to his knee trouble flaring up again.

The Athletic's Sam Amick provided a troubling perspective on the 2022-23 MVP's health Tuesday during an appearance on FanDuel TV's Run It Back:

Are the 76ers hiding a more severe Joel Embiid injury? 🧐@sam_amick says given reports on Embiid during the Olympics, something went down afterwards that has impacted the superstar.@ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 | @MichelleDBeadle pic.twitter.com/CTt5Qv9QU0

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 25, 2024

Even if Embiid and George were healthy right now, the general vibes around the Sixers are downright rotten, and the dynamic can be summed up by one general subplot that emerged.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Nov. 19 that Philly held a team meeting in which Maxey "challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities." The story prompted Embiid to say the person who leaked that detail is a "real piece of s--t." A wider conversation about the veteran center opened in addition to speculation over the identity of the leaker.

"I'll be honest guys, I knew that his professionalism had been questioned consistently around the league, and within the organization."@sam_amick on questions surrounding Joel Embiid's reputation.@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons
📺: https://t.co/4kXYMoAe6s pic.twitter.com/wKtsEdQtgh

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 25, 2024

And because we're in an era of player podcasts, Charania's report became fodder for George's Podcast P show.

clickbaiting your team’s downfall is insane https://t.co/38Q76W2MTp

— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) November 21, 2024

For his part, George can only accentuate the positive. He's not going to publicly proclaim the season is over before December. However, it's impossible not to contrast his comments with what has transpired.

We're only a few weeks away from the 2024-25 Philadelphia 76ers having their team photo included in the dictionary under the definition for "cooked."

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George appears to be progressing well in his recovery from his knee injury.

George, who was a partial participant in Tuesday's practice, told reporters afterward that he's hoping to make his return "hopefully within the next week."

The Sixers already ruled out George, star center Joel Embiid and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry for Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets. It will be the ninth game that George has missed so far in his first year in Philadelphia.

George hasn't played since he suffered a hyperextended left knee in the Sixers' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 20. It's the same injury he suffered in the preseason and forced him to miss the start of the year.

When he was healthy, the six-time All-Star performed well below his usual standards. In eight appearances this season, George averaged just 14.9 points while shooting career-worsts of 38.3 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from beyond the arc. He also added 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals.

Amid Philadelphia's unfortunate string of injuries, the team has the second-worst record in the NBA at 3-13. The Sixers were pegged as title contenders when George joined the franchise in free agency this past offseason, but they're digging themselves into a hole that could hurt their chances to fulfill their goal.

Without George and Embiid, the Sixers are left to rely on rising star point guard Tyrese Maxey and promising young rookie Jared McCain. Philadelphia will be looking to avoid a second consecutive loss when it meets Houston on Wednesday.

In the wake of Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey reportedly calling out superstar center Joel Embiid for habitual tardiness during a recent team meeting, more revelations have come to light regarding the 2022-23 NBA MVP.

Appearing on FanDuel's Run It Back (h/t HoopsHype), Sam Amick of The Athletic discussed what he has heard about Embiid, saying: "I'll be honest guys, I knew that his professionalism had been questioned consistently around the league, and within the organization."

"I'll be honest guys, I knew that his professionalism had been questioned consistently around the league, and within the organization."@sam_amick on questions surrounding Joel Embiid's reputation.@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons
📺: https://t.co/4kXYMoAe6s pic.twitter.com/wKtsEdQtgh

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 25, 2024

ESPN's Shams Charania reported last week that Maxey spoke up during a meeting on the heels of the Sixers losing a fourth consecutive game, taking Embiid to task for being late "for everything."

Sources close to the team told Charania that Embiid and Maxey have a "close friendship" and a "history of holding each other accountable."

Another person who was present for the meeting told Charania that Embiid's penchant for being late was "the elephant in the room."

The 30-year-old later took issue with the subject matter of the meeting becoming public knowledge, telling reporters: "Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s--t. But even then, we talked about a lot of things. I don't want to get into the details, but that whole thing probably took 30 seconds."

A league source followed up by telling NBA insider Jake Fischer that Embiid was "furious" and was going to "try and find the Sixers' supposed snitch."

As part of his appearance on Run It Back, Amick said there has been some finger-pointing with claims that the media has been "way too soft" on the seven-time All-Star and that his issues with unprofessionalism have been "going on forever."

Even aside from those problems, the 2024-25 season has been a nightmarish one for Embiid and the Sixers.

After missing 43 games last season due primarily to a knee injury, Embiid has only appeared in four games this season with most of his absences being attributed to knee injury management.

Embiid was also suspended three games for shoving a media member who mentioned his son and late brother in an article.

When healthy, he has long been one of the most dominant players in the NBA, earning seven All-Star nods, five All-NBA selections and an MVP award.

Embiid also won scoring titles in both 2022 and 2023, and he averaged a career-high 34.7 points per game last season, although he appeared in only 39 contests.

With Embiid missing most of the 2024-25 season thus far, the 76ers are just 3-13, placing them 14th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference.

Although they have made seven consecutive postseason appearances, playoff success has been hard to come by for the Sixers, as they have not gotten past the second round of the playoffs since 2001.

Many expected that to change this season with the signing of Paul George to play alongside Embiid and Maxey, but along with Embiid's absences, George has only played in eight games due to injury.

There is still plenty of time for the 76ers to turn their season around and establish themselves as contenders in the Eastern Conference, but the narratives surrounding the team currently are far more negative than anyone could have anticipated.

Jared McCain continued to turn heads at the start of his rookie season on Friday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers point guard finished with a team-high 30 points during a 113-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets. McCain added five rebounds, three assists and two steals while shooting 11-20 from the field and 6-11 from three-point territory.

HE UNDERSTANDS IT NOW 😱

30 points for Jared McCain 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JQDSKJvZnH

— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 23, 2024

After hitting his sixth triple to push Philadelphia's lead to 12 points in the fourth quarter, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft called himself the Rookie of the Year.

"I'M THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR!"

—Jared McCain 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ezzlIDg4Q9

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 23, 2024

McCain has been a bright spot for the 76ers despite their slow start to the season. He's now scored at least 20 points in seven straight games.

JARED MCCAIN TONIGHT 🪣

30 PTS, 11/20 FG, 6 3PM

7 STRAIGHT 20+ PT GAMES FOR THE ROOK 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qNVKx8GJPA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 23, 2024

Fans were impressed with his performance.

JARED MCCAIN WENT OFF TONIGHT 🔥

30 PTS, 11/20 FG, 6 3PM

He opened at +3500 to win ROY… He’s now -130 👀

(@FDSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/8J6568HGGc

— br_betting (@br_betting) November 23, 2024

Jared McCain tonight:

30 PTS
6 REB
2 STL
6 3P

Leading all rookies and 76ers in points and threes this season. pic.twitter.com/w1icwTvvNJ

— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 23, 2024

Jared McCain looks more impressive every game

— KENNY BEECHAM (@KOT4Q) November 23, 2024

Jared McCain has the most 3PM by a player in their first five career starts in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/GcI6rXCae3

— Polymarket Hoops (@StatMamba) November 23, 2024

Jared McCain's last 8 games:

⭐️ 27 points
⭐️ 23 points
⭐️ 34 points
⭐️ 29 points
⭐️ 20 points
⭐️ 20 points
⭐️ 30 points

More than just a TikTok star 🔥 pic.twitter.com/q3cGss18rE

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 23, 2024

However good you think Jared McCain is, he’s better. I promise. The kid literally makes the smart play 100% of the time. He’s an unconscious shooter. Midrange is automatic. Elite finishing ability. He’s absolutely unbelievable & may just in fact be the Sixers savior.

— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) November 23, 2024

Jared McCain being in the all-star conversation as a rookie is insane

— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) November 23, 2024

Jared McCain is something else. Sees the floor unbelievably well. His mind is always thinking about how to respond to the next defensive move.

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) November 23, 2024

https://twitter.com/SpikeEskin/status/1860127522920321216

His emergence as an instant contributor is crucial for a 76ers team that has dealt with injuries to stars such as Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to open the year. Embiid and George didn't suit up against Brooklyn on Friday due to knee issues.

On the season as a whole, McCain is averaging 16.5 points and 2.7 assists per game on 48.4/42.7/97.1 shooting splits.

Despite the 76ers' 3-12 record, the former Duke standout's name should come up in the Rookie of the Year conversation if he's able to maintain his production throughout the remainder of his inaugural season.