Sources – Tyrese Maxey challenged Joel Embiid in 76ers meeting

In the midst of a 2-11 start that has them in last place in the Eastern Conference, and with their star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey yet to play a game together, the Philadelphia 76ers held a team meeting after Monday night’s 106-89 -loss to the Miami Heat.

The loss was the team’s fourth straight, and it prompted veteran guard Kyle Lowry to call the meeting — a much-needed heart-to-heart and a call for action and urgency, sources told ESPN. Players and coaches held each other accountable and made mistakes at the start of the season.

Challenging Embiid to be on time for team activities, Maxey called out the 2022-23 league MVP for being late “to everything” and how it affects the locker room, from other players to the coaching staff, sources briefed on the meeting told ESPN.

Maxey and Embiid have a close friendship and a history of holding each other accountable, according to those around the team.

“Tyrese loves the Big Fella, but this is the elephant in the room,” a person involved in the meeting told ESPN.

Players told 76ers coach Nick Nurse they want to be coached harder, and coaches in turn said they want players to practice with goals and attention to detail.

Embiid accepted the messages sent in the meeting, sources said, but he said he is sometimes confused by what the 76ers are trying to accomplish on the court.

Listed as questionable for most of Monday due to an illness, Embiid was not seen by most teammates and coaches throughout the day before showing up for warmups and playing in the game.

Maxey is highly regarded as a young leader by many in the organization, and those around the team were not surprised that he spoke up on Monday. He has been out since Nov. 7 with a strained right hamstring, but sources said he is expected to return this week, either Wednesday at Memphis or Friday at home against the Brooklyn Nets.

Philadelphia changed its roster in the offseason after falling in six games to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. The Sixers added George, a nine-time All-Star, on a four-year, $212 million deal to join Embiid and Maxey, who hours later signed his own five-year, $204 million deal.

After years of trying and ultimately failing to find the right players to surround Embiid — from Jimmy Butler to Ben Simmons to James Harden — the Sixers believed they had landed the ideal pairing of George and Maxey.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index ranked the Sixers third in their preseason rankings. Their preseason over/under win total was 51.5.

George, who is recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee, has played in six of the team’s first 13 games. Embiid also missed the start of the season with what the team called “knee injury management” and then was suspended for three games for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes. The team is 0-3 since his return.