The direction of the Philadelphia 76ers is unclear. Their 20-36 record places them No. 12 in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games out of the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. The 76ers, along with the Phoenix Suns, have been advised to look towards the future.
A scout for a team in the East thinks the 76ers should focus on their young talent after this season has not gone according to plan.
“I would be more optimistic long term in Philly than Phoenix long term because, despite the contracts, they have draft capital and some flexibility,” an East scout said via ESPN. “At least they’ve got [Tyrese] Maxey, [Jared] McCain, possibly another pick.
“Call this season a failure, start over, reset things and move forward. That’s a real ‘two timelines’ sort of thing.”
The 76ers have left a lot to be desired this season, despite expectations for them being high, and star center Joel Embiid’s spotty availability has been part of the reason why.
Embiid has only appeard in 19 of the 76ers’ 56 games this season as various injuries have held him out of action. He will miss the 76ers’ Monday night matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a knee injury. He did play 31 minutes in the loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.
The 76ers will need to adjust some things if they want to get back to competing in the East.
Should the 76ers shut down Joel Embiid for the year?
The Philadelphia 76ers have not seen much of star center Joel Embiid this season. Injuries have limited Embiid to playing in 19 of the 76ers’ 56 games so far this season. Should the team shut Embiid down for the season? Tony Jones of The Athletic believes so.
“But the left knee he injured last season is still very much an issue,” Jones wrote. “The swelling and inflammation, the pain and slow healing process have all combined to make this a frustrating and lost season for Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. So, they need to shut him down for the remainder of this campaign.”
76ers head coach Nick Nurse admitted that Embiid has not been himself this season as he has been forced to play through injury after injury.
“He’s giving us what he can,” Nurse said. “He’s not himself; we all know that. He’s not, certainly, the guy that we’re used to seeing play at a super-high level. But I commend him for giving us what he can.”
The 76ers might want to think long-term and prioritize getting Embiid healthy for next season.
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