Why the 76ers’ season is already at a crossroads. Plus, time for the NBA Panic Panel!

On By Littum

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I love movies, but I’m always careful when I see them in the theater. I don’t like crowded theaters, so I try to go during breaks. With that said, tonight I’d like to see “Gladiator II” on opening night. That’s how excited I am about it.

What in Philly?

The 76ers are really in trouble, all of them

The story of the week has been the 76ers’ disastrous start to this season. Joel Embiid has played in four games, but they have not won any of them. Paul George has played in eight games, yet Philly is 1-7 in them – likewise for Tyrese Maxey. Overall, the Sixers are 2-12. That’s the worst record in the league. Entering the season, they had the league’s eighth-best championship odds. They also have the worst offense in the NBA, George just sprained his knee for the second time in about a month, and there was a team meeting that was immediately leaked to the media.

The Sixers are a train wreck right now. The information from the team meeting after a big loss to the Heat wasn’t really that violent. Maxey told his good friend Embiid that he has to be on time for everything. It sounds like there was a good conversation about how players want to be coached and how coaches want players to approach things.

However, the Sixers wondered about this report, how it was leaked. Embiid called whoever leaked it “a real piece of s—” (maybe he was cites). Embiid kind of played the victim in his comments while sort of taking responsibility for what’s going on. PG spoke on his own podcast with teammate Reggie Jackson on all things Sixers and the team meeting. Both couldn’t believe the meeting information got out.

The lack of success so far with the injuries is so excusable, and that’s a real reason they’re bad. But this bad? That can’t be right. They have been removed when Embiid, George or Maxey are on the floor. And the trio have only played six minutes together. Rookie Jared McCain has been their best player this season. On his podcast, PG said this:

“To be completely honest, he’s been our most consistent player on the floor so far. … We’ve definitely got to step it up because he can’t be our most consistent player.”

There are two things keeping people from completely burying the Sixers right now. First, I think people still believe that a healthy, in-form version of this team can be dangerous in a playoff scenario. This team was supposed to contend … for the title, not Cooper Flagg (although their pick is top-six protected in this lottery). Second, the East is so atrocious that they still have so much time to get into the top six in the conference. They have so much time overall, but the Sixers haven’t shown any faith in them yet. Maybe they haven’t had a real chance because of the injuries, but they still have to show us something.

The last 24

Luka Dončić is out with a wrist injury

Mav’s star is out for at least a week. Dončić hurt his wrist in the blowout win over New Orleans. He will be re-evaluated next week.

What is each team’s biggest concern so far? Athletics NBA staff have the answers.

Hubie Brown will call one more game. The 91-year-old legend will be scheduled on ESPN at some point this season for a final celebration. Salute to one of the greatest.

The Celtics go to Washington! They celebrated their championship at the White House. And owner Wyc Grousbeck shed light on when he had to be out.

Cade Cunningham was injured. In Detroit’s overtime loss at Charlotte, Cunningham took a hard fall in the fourth quarter and appeared to hurt his tailbone. He didn’t play in overtime. We’ll keep an eye on it.

Don’t miss this match tonight. Pacers (6-9) at Bucks (6-9), 8:00 PM ET on League Pass. Now would be a good time for both to play as they did in last year’s tournament.

The panic panel

On a scale of 1-10, how bad is it for Philly?

We’re not done with the 2-12 Sixers! Because this situation has become so dire, I decided to put together The Panic Panel! When a situation requires it, TPP can give us a picture of reality. I decided to call a friend (or five) to ask them a very simple but important question:

On a scale of 1-10, how the f— are the 76’s and why?

Jason Concepcion | Author, podcasts and Knicks fan: I have it on 7 and mounting. Why not higher? It’s early in the season, Embiid and PG could definitely start playing better, and McCain is a bright spot. That being said, what we are witnessing is a basketball coup. This is Maxey’s team now. The only way Joel gets it back is by asserting his dominance by continuing to be late until HE DECIDES when he will be on time.

Ian Karmel | Comedian, podcasts and authorand Blazers fan: 7. That’s the highest I can give a Philly team while the Cowboys are so bad.

Pablo Torre | Podcasts and Process Trustee: 8. I think it’s safe to say the Sixers were significantly more fun when they were trying to lose games on purpose.

Mo Dakhil | Author, podcasts and former NBA video coordinator: 7. It looks like a complete disaster in Philadelphia with all the injuries and the team meeting leaking. That said, if Philly can get healthy, it can make a run. The Sixers are just four games out of the sixth seed; it’s a good week in the NBA. The challenge is that the turnaround must begin now and the margin for error is low. If the Sixers were in the West, this would be 100 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Jay King | Celtics beat writer, podcasts and Gerry McNamara fan: Forty? Four hundred? Four billion? They are beyond f—. They are built to win now, with Joel Embiid at 30 and Paul George at 34, and have won two of their first 14 games. While Embiid and George are working their way back into top form, which doesn’t feel like a given after their choppy starts, the supporting cast around them doesn’t seem ready for the bigs. The 76ers rank dead last in offense. That means they haven’t scored as much as the Trail Blazers or Wizards.

Sure, injuries have slowed the 76ers, but does anyone trust Embiid and George to both stay healthy? Even Philadelphia’s most promising development, Jared McCain’s immediate readiness, comes with complications. Can a team really defend at a championship level with two 6-foot-3 players in the top four? I haven’t even discussed the locker room, which is already on fire based on all the reporting. Although lucky the rest of the Eastern Conference is also in ruins, the 76ers are not going there.

About last night

Magic ends the Lakers’ six-game winning streak

The Lakers were up by four points with 27 seconds left in the game after Anthony Davis sank two free throws. Then Franz Wagner hit a layup and the Magic played the nasty game again. They were just desperate to find a win on the second night of a back-to-back in LA after the Clippers ended their six-game winning streak the night before. Davis then missed both free throws with 18 seconds left, setting the stage for Wagner to be the hero.

He put on his cape and knocked down a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to put the Magic up 119-118. The Lakers ran to AD, who then missed a turnaround 18-footer by a lot. Wagner had 37 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals, outscoring LeBron James in the fourth. He’s been out of sorts lately as the Magic have won seven of eight. LeBron and AD combined for 70 points and 19 rebounds.

Hornets 123 (6-9), Pistons 121 (7-10) in OT: The Hornets and Pistons seem to only play close, tense games. Earlier in the season, Brandon Miller got a tip in at the buzzer to beat Detroit. Charlotte needed him to take over in this one and he did. Miller scored eight of his 38 points in overtime after LaMelo Ball literally hit a second into the overtime period. Ball had 35 points and nine assists. The most impressive part of this game from Miller was definitely grabbing the transition ball.

Raptors 110 (4-12), Wolves 105 (8-7): The biggest takeaway from this game on the internet will be The Julius Randle-Rudy Gobert-Anthony Edwards moment. And it was quite a funny/dramatic moment. My takeaway is that this Raptors team is starting to get healthy and they are better than their record. Scottie Barnes had 17 points and six assists in his first game back after missing 11 games. RJ Barrett had 31 points and Chris Boucher had 22 off the bench. Everyone’s point should be that this is the only court the Raptors should have:

Spurs 126 (8-8), Jazz 118 (3-12): If you were wondering why the Jazz are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, just go watch the fourth quarter of this game. They gave up 41 points to a Spurs team without Victor Wembanyama. Eight different players scored in double figures for San Antonio, led by Harrison Barnes’ 25 points. Spurs rookie Stephon Castle had another strong game … LeBron James is taking notice.

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(Top photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images )