So, the Philadelphia 76ers are bad. Let's call a spade a spade. There's no more sugarcoating this disastrous season. It's not a matter of getting healthy or building momentum. The Sixers just... kinda suck. It's unfortunate but it's true.
How the franchise proceeds from here will be fascinating to watch. Saturday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets gave Philadelphia full control of the sixth-best lottery odds in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Sixers' first-round pick belongs to OKC with a top-six protection, so the Sixers need to remain bad, lest their incredibly valuable lottery pick get rerouted to the best team in the league.
What the offseason holds for Philly is unclear. Daryl Morey will presumably instigate changes, as he tends to do, but the Sixers aren't exactly awash with flexibility. Paul George's $212 million contract won't be easy to shed. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are both on long-term max deals of their own. Philadelphia won't have cap space to burn, nor much maneuverability around the CBA's new tax aprons. It is ironic, but extremely possible, that this ends up being Morey's quietest offseason since taking over the Sixers' front office.
Either way, Philadelphia cannot continue on its current path. With six straight losses since Morey claimed the Sixers are still contenders "if you squint," Philly is 16 games below .500 and 1.5 games out of the East's final Play-In spot. It's not impossible for the Sixers to pass Chicago for the 10th seed, but Nick Nurse's team is not trending in the right direction. Emotions are starting to hit rock bottom, and the on-court product is a mess.
It's probably time to accept defeat and bring out the tanks. No, it's definitely time — and it starts with Embiid.
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Nick Nurse admits Joel Embiid isn't himself, so why are the 76ers tanking?
Daryl Morey's project upon arriving in Philadelphia was to build the best possible team around Joel Embiid. That has been the goal from day one, and the motive behind every move Morey has made. What, then, can the Sixers do when Embiid isn't performing up to his usual standards?
The former MVP has appeared in just 19 games this season as he battles through persistent swelling in his left knee. On multiple occasions, Embiid has hinted at the need for another offseason surgery. After the game on Saturday, Nick Nurse admitted that Embiid "is not himself."
Nick Nurse, on Joel Embiid: "He's giving us what he can. He's not himself, we all know that. He's not, certainly, the guy that we're used to seeing play at a super high level. But I commend him for giving us what he can." pic.twitter.com/RXawIL4Y9I
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) February 23, 2025
That begs the question: what exactly are we doing here?
Embiid is clearly not right. He's static on defense and reluctant to drive and pivot hard on offense, instead settling for contested jumpers and getting his wires crossed in traffic. A tentative, half-speed Embiid does very little for the Sixers. Nurse benched the seven-time All-Star down the stretch of their loss to Brooklyn, instead finishing with Guerschon Yabusele at the five spot.
If Embiid is bad to the point of not closing games, even when he is "healthy" and "available," then why play him? Scrapping their way to the eighth seed is a pointless endeavor. The Sixers, in their current condition, wouldn't stand a chance against Cleveland or Boston in a seven-game series. It makes very little sense to keep their foot on the gas pedal when the destination is a dead end. Philly's only way to recoup value from this season is to finish with a top-six pick. An elite young player might extend the Sixers' window or give them a new path to consider. Losing in the playoffs and then handing your pick to OKC does nothing.
And yet, despite every reason to shut down Embiid, the Sixers appear committed to letting the wheels fall off. Nurse doubled down on Embiid's diminished physical state on Sunday, then said Philadelphia is still hopeful it can get better with improved conditioning and rhythm.
Nick Nurse, on Joel Embiid's mobility and whether there has been any discussion of resting him:
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) February 23, 2025
"I would agree that he's not moving nearly as well as we was. We were hoping maybe something conditioning, rhythm, that kind of stuff would get that going, but it doesn't appear that… pic.twitter.com/sHD4NPcMHH
It feels like only a matter of time until Embiid gets put on ice. Unless Philadelphia can find the spirit necessary to earnestly compete in some of these games, there's nothing left to gain from putting your franchise cornerstone in harm's way. The Sixers are embarrassing right now. Just bring out the tanks and shut it down. Leave the Embiid reclamation efforts to next season, when ideally he's well-rested and perhaps surgically repaired.