The Process Can No Longer Be Trusted
When the 76ers were eliminated by the Knicks in a hard-fought six-game slugfest, whispers questioning Joel Embiid’s future in the City of Brotherly Love spread throughout the league.
But when the 76ers signed Paul George to a four-year contract in the offseason, all of their problems were solved. With Embiid, George, and their young star Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers would contend in the Eastern Conference for years to come and give themselves their best chance of winning a championship since Allen Iverson dragged a weak supporting cast to the Finals in 2001.
That is until an avalanche of disaster struck.
George hyperextended his knee in a preseason game against the Hawks, and although the 76ers stated that he’d be good to go for the start of the season, neither he nor Embiid made an appearance in October. When George returned to the lineup, the 76ers were 1-4. They needed him to be the PG13 of years past to rebound from a tough start.
The opposite occurred. They lost their next three games while George averaged just 14.0 points and clanked a game-tying attempt against Phoenix. By the time, a greatly burdened Embiid returned, the 76ers were 2-7. They would go on to lose their next five games, four of which Embiid played in. The big man only averaged 19.8 PPG which was far short of his regular production.
It was officially panic time for the 76ers. Their preseason expectations were higher than ever, and after just one month into the season, they legitimately had to cope with knowing they wouldn’t contend to be a top seed in the Eastern Conference at 2-12.
Having the worst record in the NBA wasn’t even Philly’s biggest problem. George looked like he had aged five years since leaving LA and Embiid was laboring up and down the court because of his knee. Over the next five years, they owe Embiid and George $511,132,412. You read that right. That’s enough for over 100 million monthly subscriptions to Around the Associations.
An 11-5 run to put Philly at 13-17 had everybody fooled that they were on the rise and would be the classic “you don’t want to see them in the first round” 7th or 8th seed. Embiid was balling out when healthy and Maxey was working his usual magic. Even when their electrifying rookie, Jared McCain, was announced to be out for the season with a torn meniscus, the 76ers had hope.
Once the new year rolled around, all hell broke loose. They started January with a six-point loss against the Kings, who were in their second game under an interim head coach, and a 34-point pounding from the Warriors. They beat Brooklyn soundly in their following game, but Embiid’s left knee—an agent of terror for Sixers fans—was re-aggravated and he would miss another month.
At 15-20, the slide began. Philadelphia would lose seven straight games, dumping them to 11th in the Eastern Conference—an unfathomable position based on preseason expectations and the weakness of the East. After a particularly discouraging loss to the hapless Pelicans, Paul George ran his mouth during his media availability, calling out Nick Nurse for some of his lineup adjustments to Embiid’s injury.
“To be honest, I’m bored playing the five. It just doesn’t do enough for me….It’s different. I’m used to scrapping and running around and chasing and fighting through screens.”
George is used to speaking his mind. He’s also used to his comments getting on the nerves of his own fanbase. In March of 2023, George premiered “Podcast P,” a podcast with two of his close friends and special guests that releases episodes weekly. George often addresses his poor play on his podcast, but even taking accountability isn’t enough for Philly fans. Many believe that his podcast is an interruption and a distraction from the main goal at hand—improving the team and contending for a championship.
Podcast P most certainly isn’t helping George’s play. He’s averaging 16 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4 APG on 43.2% shooting after nearly a decade of All-NBA level play. When George signed with Philly, the expectation was that he’d provide stability when Embiid was out of the lineup, which, at this point in his career, is a given. Instead, the 76ers are 7-13 in games that George plays without Embiid.
That 7-13 record contributed to the 76ers disappointing 20-29 record by the beginning of February. But hope still remained. They were 6-3 when Embiid, George, and Maxey all played, and they were only one game out of the final Play-In spot in the East.
That hope wouldn’t last long. The 76ers have lost eight games in a row, sinking them to 20-37 and 12th in the Eastern Conference. They lost to Miami, who is 1-6 since, Detroit and Milwaukee, Boston, 18-39 Toronto, and Chicago, who had lost their previous six-game before beating the Sixers by 32. Those are six of their eight losses. The other two are much much worse. In the span of three games, the 76ers lost to the Nets twice.
Heading into this season, the Wizards were projected to have the second-fewest wins in the league with 22.5. The Nets were projected a whole three wins lower at 19.5. They were supposed to be the laughingstock of the league—the top candidate to capture Cooper Flagg. The 76ers had the third-highest win total in the East (52.5). Brooklyn’s playoff odds before the season were +2750. Philly’s were -1900. It’s unlikely that the Nets make a playoff push, but after beating the Sixers twice, they now have a better record the Philadelphia at 21-36.
If you told 76ers fans that they’d have a worse record than the Nets 57 games into the season, I think the city of Philadelphia would get burnt down faster than you can say “Process.”
During their eight-game losing streak, Embiid has shot 39.7% from the field and is averaging 21.2 points per game. George has played even worse. He’s posted 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on the losing streak including a nightmare 2-point performance in the Sixers’ first game against Brooklyn. Throughout the eight-game stretch, George appears afraid to shoot the ball, as he’s averaged just 12.3 shots per game. For the season, he’s averaging 13.8 shots per game which is his lowest since the second year of his career.
And now Embiid is injured again. He re-aggravated his knee in the second Brooklyn loss and will be sidelined for at least a few games. Just about everything surrounding the 76ers is negative, but they have the chance to salvage some hope by making a groundbreaking decision.
It’s time for the 76ers to wave the white flag on the 2024-25 season.
Philadelphia’s first-round pick is owned by Oklahoma City this year, but on a condition. The pick is top-6 protected, so if the Sixers have one of the six worst records in the NBA by the end of the season, they get to keep their pick.
Here is the draft order based on the current standings.
Washington Wizards: 10-47
Utah Jazz: 14-43
New Orleans Pelicans: 14-43
Charlotte Hornets: 14-42
Toronto Raptors: 18-39
Philadelphia 76ers: 20-37
The 2025 draft is a generational one. The sixth pick in the draft could go a long way in building a future in Philly. The George and Embiid contracts are horrendous, but Maxey, McCain, and potentially VJ Edgecombe or Khaman Maulach give the 76ers’ front office and fans some light at the end of the tunnel.
To do this, they have to shut down Joel Embiid for the season. As much as he causes a boatload of drama on the court, he gives them a better chance of winning games. They need to lose games to keep their pick and if they envision a future with Embiid, they need to officially keep him off the court for a full eight months to heel his knee for next season.
It’d seem very intentional to shut down Paul George but resting him for back-to-backs to preserve his health and decrease their chance of winning seems sensible.
Play the young guys like Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, Ricky Council IV, and Jared Butler. Playing them can be a disguise for developing young talent when in reality, those guys aren’t very good and won’t be able to win games even with Maxey at his best.
This could be a make-or-break move for the 76ers. They are approaching Phoenix Suns territory—in cap space hell with a bad roster and no room to make moves for years to come.
Either way, “The Process,” as Philly’s quest for a title in the Embiid era was coined over a decade ago, is more than likely over. But the Sixers have a chance to build a future that can start a new era of basketball in Philly late in the decade, and the first step is to tank the rest of the season and gain possession of their draft pick.
Shut down Embiid. Limit George. Play the young guys. Yes, it means admitting that the George signing and Embiid extension were mistakes, but admitting that you’re wrong about something is part of life.
The 76ers control their own destiny. It’s time for them to act like it.