3 Philadelphia 76ers who won't be back if Joel Embiid doesn't step up

There are two predominant strains of thought in the Philadelphia 76ers fandom these days. If you're a pessimist, the Sixers are 2-11 and we are living through hell on earth. The other, slightly more optimistic perspective, hinges on the remarkably bad Eastern Conference. The Sixers are 3.5 games out of the No. 8 seed and 5.5 games out of the No. 4 seed and we aren't even a quarter of the way through the season. There is time aplenty to turn this ship around.

That said, if the Sixers want to turn this ship around, it will require a great deal of urgency. That urgency was not on display in Monday's loss to the Miami Heat, which saw Philadelphia blow its halftime lead en route to a 17-point defeat on the road.

After the game, a players and coaches meeting took place in the visiting locker room. Tyrese Maxey called out Joel Embiid, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, citing the former MVP's constant tardiness and complacent leadership.

"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," Shams wrote. "Maxey and Embiid have a close friendship and a history of holding each other accountable, according to those around the team."

Embiid reportedly accepted the message and expressed issues with how he's being used on the court. This meeting feels like a productive step in the right direction, but we won't know until the Sixers actually take the court against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. A strong collective effort and victory might cheer up the fanbase. Another loss would set off alarm bells we didn't even know existed.

The plain and simple root of this issue is Embiid. He can't control injuries or absences, but the 7-footer has only appeared in three games to date and it's clear that he's not taking pre-game prep or practices as seriously as he needs to. Here are the Sixers who risk losing their jobs if Embiid does put it together.

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3. KJ Martin was signed for the express purpose of getting traded

Regina George once uttered the iconic phrase, "stop trying to make fetch happen." Well, perhaps the Sixers should stop trying to make KJ Martin happen. The 23-year-old inked a one-year, $8 million contract in free agency, which he did not earn in sparse minutes last season. This was a strategic overpay by the 76ers, taking advantage of CBA loopholes to get free salary filler for a potential future trade.

If Embiid can't get Philadelphia back on track, the Sixers are going to operate with increased motivation on the trade front. Martin has appeared more frequently for Philadelphia this season than last — 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 15.8 minutes per game — but he's not an essential piece to Nick Nurse's puzzle. It wouldn't be hard for Philadelphia to attach a few second-round picks to Martin in exchange for a more immediately useful role player.

This has to be an outcome Martin is prepared for. The Sixers tried to get Martin more involved early this season, but the emergence of Guerschon Yabusele has effectively rendered Martin's presence moot when Embiid is healthy. Odds are it's a matter of when Martin is traded, not if.

2. Andre Drummond plainly can't carry the load when Joel Embiid sits

Part of the reason for Philadelphia's immense struggles during Joel Embiid's early-season absence was the ineffectiveness of Andre Drummond. He's a complete turnstile on defense right now. That is a common theme with backup centers during the Embiid era, but Sixers fans were hoping that Drummond was different. He's a former All-Star, after all.

Drummond made fans in his first half-season with Philadelphia a couple years ago, to the point where folks were bummed when he was traded for James Harden. Well, now Drummond is back, but he's also a couple years older. The rebounding is helpful, but it's offset (and then some) by Drummond's lack of mobility and focus as a defensive anchor. He can't share the floor with Embiid, so there's no way around this issue.

The Sixers have found significantly more success with Guerschon Yabusele as a small-ball center in the non-Embiid mintues. That appears to be the correct formula moving forward. If Embiid continues to underperform and deal with health issues in the weeks to come, that will only increase the need for a more functional backup center. Drummond's expiring $5 million salary is easy to toss into a trade package and there are plenty of rotation bigs circulating in trade rumors.

1. Kelly Oubre could be the biggest casualty of 76ers' struggles

Kelly Oubre's strong first season in Philadelphia earned him a two-year, $16.4 million contract and a starting role in the Sixers' new star-studded lineup. Well, we haven't even seen Philadelphia's mystical 'big three' on the court yet, and Oubre has already lost his starting role. Caleb Martin is slowly but surely starting to hit shots and Jared McCain has exploded into the stratosphere, becoming a must-start player 13 games into his rookie campaign.

McCain's ascent is great news for the Sixers at large, but gaining what appears to be a potential fourth star in record time and still falling to 2-11 is an alarming outcome. It speaks to how poorly Embiid, Paul George, and the rest of Philadelphia's roster has performed. Oubre is a primary culprit behind the Sixers' slow start, averaging 13.4 points on ghastly .407/.267/.765 splits.

Oubre was always going to look a little rough around the edges without Embiid, but Philadelphia needs more from its high-flying swingman. A score-first player at heart, Oubre's inability to impact winning as a passer or connective piece limits his impact when the shots aren't falling. He was great as a play-finisher last season, but Oubre just looks lost right now. The whole team does, frankly, but Oubre has stood out in a particularly harsh light. His salary, like the others listed above, is rather easy to slot into potential trade conversations. Don't be shocked if he ends up in the rumor mill.