Fearsome, free-falling Sixers must now defy gravity – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The conventional wisdom is that NBA seasons are long and full of inevitable ups and downs.

To start this season, the 2-12 Sixers have done little but tumble straight down a steep hill, with horrific results. It now looks like they will have to defy gravity to change the history of an absurdly miserable season.

The Wizards, who are on a nine-game losing streak and have four players 20 or younger averaging at least 25 minutes per game. game, has a better record than the Sixers. Every NBA team does.

As has long been the case during Joel Embiid’s time in Philadelphia, the injury woes have been rampant. Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have played once together … technically. George left the Sixers’ loss Wednesday night to the Grizzlies with a hyperextended left knee.

The clichés that chemistry and rhythm are harder to build on injury-plagued teams are true.

“Different groups play every night,” George said after last week’s loss to the Magic. “It’s still an ongoing process of figuring all of this out for everybody. But again, that’s no excuse. We’ve got to get better, and we all understand that. But I think we’ll get to a point where we find an identity.… It is unfortunate that it has taken some time.

“Time is not on our side. But at the same time, I don’t think it’s still panic mode for us. We just have to keep working. It’s not going to be easy, but with this group, I think when we find a flow and a rhythm, it will be great for us in the long run.”

Embiid, for all his near-automatic dominance when available over the years, has never exuded steady, reliable leadership. Maxey reportedly called out Embiid’s habits and tardiness at a team meeting on Monday evening.

What good habits are the Sixers building? The team ranks second in defensive turnover percentagebut that has been the only consistent positive for a midfield defence. The Sixers have The NBA’s worst offensive ratingthey’re subpar on both the defensive and offensive glass, and it’s not terribly hyperbolic to say rookie Jared McCain has been their most reliable player the past two weeks. He has hit the 20-point mark in each of his last six games and displayed extraordinary poise, shooting ability and adaptability.

Outside of Guerschon Yabusele, who is playing NBA basketball for the first time since 2019, all Sixers veterans have performed below expectations. That includes head coach Nick Nurse, who has generally failed to pick effective Plans B, C and D or fix in-game issues. The Sixers have one minus-17.8 net rating in the second quarter and one minus 17.7 net rating in the third quarter.

The Sixers entered the season with the league’s oldest average age, according to NBA.com. None of president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s ultra-experienced offseason pickups have thrived.

The 34-year-old George has shot poorly (38.3 percent from the field. 27.8 percent from three-point range) and exceeded 20 points once. After re-signing with the Sixers, Kyle Lowry has once again played more minutes than Nurse originally envisioned and, at 38, has missed 21 of his last 23 three-point attempts. He is out with a right hip strain. Eric Gordon, 35, has a true shooting percentage of 49.3 would be the lowest of his career. Reggie Jackson, 34, has mostly been out of the Sixers’ rotation.

Maybe the Sixers will get firm control of everything they can — sharper, cleaner offense, skilled defensive schemes, hustle plays galore. And their luck may well turn in the form of sustained health and hot outdoor shooting.

Will it all happen? At the moment, the Sixers seem devoid of a stable foundation as they keep going down and down and down again.