The 76ers are off to a worse start than anyone in the organization could have imagined, but there are no internal discussion at this point regarding the job status of coach Nick Nurse or president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, multiple league sources told The Athletic.
The Sixers have lost 11 of 13 games to open the season, including a 106-89 defeat in Miami on Monday night that prompted a closed-door team meeting afterwards in which one injured star, Tyrese Maxey, called out the face of the franchise, Joel Embiid, for setting a bad example for teammates, those sources said.
Maxey, who has been out since Nov. 7 with a hamstring injury, apparently said to Embiid in front of the team: “Joel, you know I love you. But it starts with you, and your habits.” Maxey, who has a close relationship with Embiid, called out his friend for being late to too many team functions.
ESPN was first to report that Maxey addressed Embiid’s habits during the team meeting.
The story of Philadelphia’s disastrous season can’t be told through a single team meeting or even an injury to one of its three starters. Neither Embiid nor Paul George, whom the Sixers signed as a free agent last summer to a four-year, $212 million contract, were on the floor for the start of this campaign because of injury.
The Sixers were fined for their explanation of Embiid’s absence, and Embiid was suspended three games on Nov. 5 for shoving a Philadelphia columnist who had written articles critical of the former league MVP for missing games.
With such a star-studded roster coached by Nurse, a high-profile bench boss who won a championship in Toronto in 2019, the Sixers would be just the ninth team to start a season this badly and make the playoffs.
The expectation going forward is for everyone in the organization – including Embiid, Nurse and Morey – to take a look in the mirror and see what role they have in making the team better. Team chemistry needs to improve, though Embiid and Maxey are fine, multiple sources said, citing their well-known friendship. Those sources said Embiid mostly agreed with Maxey’s message.
According to the team and league sources, Maxey highlighted the need for Embiid to set a better example as a leader on a day-to-day basis while emphasizing the importance of timeliness.
The message, in essence, was that everything within their program starts with the big man and that he simply must be better when it comes to his leadership. Embiid, league and team sources say, heard the message while also expressing a lack of clarity and occasional frustration about how he is being used on the court.
Yet while it was certainly a candid message for Maxey to share with the franchise centerpiece, it mattered even more coming from the 24-year-old because of the strength of his relationship with Embiid. The two are known to be very close, with a trust built up over five years together that allows for this kind of direct discourse.
It is hard to evaluate the on-court product until Embiid, Maxey and George play together, but other veterans like Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson who were brought in to complement the Sixers’ stars have also struggled.
Embiid, who had just 11 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes against the Heat, was playing in his third game because of the continued left knee injury management that has been such a focal point of this Sixers season.
George, whose free agency signing in the summer was seen by so many as a move back toward title contention in Philadelphia, had 18 points in nearly 33 minutes in what was his just his seventh game of the season (left knee injury). Maxey, who’s missed the last six games following a hamstring injury, is likely to play Friday at home against the Nets; the 76ers are in Memphis Wednesday.
Embiid is a notorious slow starter who usually takes a few games at the start of the season to round into form. But Philadelphia no longer has the luxury of waiting on him to be at his best. Normally, a player trying to get back into shape after a long period of inactivity would do extra conditioning work on off days and after practice. But Embiid’s constant series of lower-body injuries the last few years makes that kind of additional pounding on his legs and feet dicey. For now, Philadelphia is content with Embiid using the games to scrape the rust off.
Though the conversation between Maxey and Embiid was a core part of the team meeting, the discussions held the rest of the roster accountable as well, according to team sources. The 76ers are the worst shooting team in the league and rank 29th in rebounding percentage. While rookie Jared McCain has been off to an impressive start, Philadelphia’s depth has not stepped up while the team deals with injuries.
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(Top photo: Jesse D. Garrabranty / NBAE via Getty Images)
