Very rarely have things gone right this season for the Philadelphia 76ers.
At 18-27, Philadelphia currently sits in 11th in the Eastern Conference with February just three days away. If the season were to end today, the Sixers wouldn’t even make the play-in tournament, a harsh realization for a team that has reached the playoffs seven years in a row.
Philadelphia might be starting to go on a little bit of a run, though, as the 76ers have won three games in a row for just the second time this season thanks to a 118-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Spearheading Philadelphia’s potential turnaround has been Tyrese Maxey. Not 2023 MVP Joel Embiid, not star offseason acquisition Paul George, Maxey.
And that’s exactly who the Sixers should be building around.
Maxey erupted for 43 points against the Lakers and has averaged 31.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists over his past 11 games—numbers that any fanbase would love to see out of their team’s No. 1 option. And to think, Maxey was simply supposed to be a sidekick for Embiid and George here in 2024-25.
Embiid hasn’t even taken the floor since Jan. 4.
Meanwhile, you never really know what version of George you’re going to get on a nightly basis. He could put up 25 points as part of a double-double like he did in back-to-back games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic earlier this month, or he might supply only 11 points on 11 shot attempts, something he did on Jan. 21 against the Denver Nuggets.
Embiid can’t be traded this season since he signed an extension with the Sixers back in September, but George can, and he should.
This season, believe it or not, is still salvageable for Philadelphia. It is only one game behind the Chicago Bulls for the fourth and final play-in spot, and should the 76ers lock that down, anything can happen.
Philadelphia should no longer have the title hopes it once had entering the season, but getting to the postseason would at least give the Sixers a glimpse of what Maxey could do at that time of year when he is viewed as the guy.
But first Philadelphia needs to be honest with itself. Bringing in the 34-year-old George on a four-year, $212 million contract this past summer was an absolutely terrible decision. Terrible. If you still don’t think it was, take off the rose-colored glasses and realize that we aren’t in 2019 anymore. Apparently the 76ers didn’t get that message, and now it’s biting them in the rear.
Teams that are willing to spend for George are out there, and you can bet that they will be active during the trade deadline on Feb. 6.
Once George is out the door, Philadelphia should get going on a plan to make sure Embiid is next. Then it’s time to give the keys to Maxey and hope Jared McCain continues to develop once he’s healthy—those two guys should be the foundation of what hopefully ends up being a new-look Sixers.
As a fan of the Celtics, I’m perfectly fine if Philadelphia wants to rely on a one-legged Embiid and a geriatric George for years to come. One less team to worry about in the East for Boston.
