November 06, 2024
Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images
Paul George's Sixers debut left a lot to be desired, but there were enough flashes of excellence to be encouraging.
Last week, the Sixers' standing across several power rankings across the country was poor.
This week, their position looks even worse. The team is 1-5, and it will now be without Joel Embiid for at least three more games, as the former NBA MVP was issued a three-game suspension by the NBA on Tuesday afternoon.
MORE: Details on Embiid's suspension
As we will do every week, let's take the temperature of how folks feel about the current state of the Sixers with a power ranking roundup.
Writer John Schuhmann points out a daunting stat that details the extent of the Sixers' struggles on the offensive end of the floor through six games in 2024-25:
"Four teams rank lower offensively overall, but the Sixers are the only team that hasn’t scored at least 110 points per 100 possessions in any game this season. They rank in the top 11 in each of the other factors on offense (free throws, turnovers and rebounds), but are 29th in effective field goal percentage, in the bottom three in both field goal percentage in the paint and effective field goal percentage on shots from outside the paint." [NBA.com]
Certainly, Paul George returning to the fold -- and Embiid hopefully doing the same soon -- will help Tyrese Maxey and co. get things back on track as an offense. But it has been rough to watch the Sixers try to score the ball so far, and the numbers very much reflect that.
ESPN continues to give the Sixers a greater benefit of the doubt than other outlets, it appears, banking on the true talent level on the roster. Writer Tim Bontemps says:
"Philadelphia received a much-needed boost Monday night when Paul George made his season debut. But it wasn't enough as the 76ers fell to the Suns after George missed a 22-foot jump shot with 3.1 seconds left in the game. George had been out for three weeks since stepping awkwardly and suffering a bone bruise in a preseason game in Atlanta on Oct. 14. Now, the question will be when Joel Embiid, who also has yet to play this season, will join him." [ESPN]
Of course, nobody knows when Embiid will play at this point -- Embiid himself claims he is included in that group. It should go without saying that they will eventually need him on the floor in order to compete for anything of relevance.
After detailing the Sixers' continued struggles over the last week, writer Law Murray makes a valid point about the Sixers' failures without Embiid:
"Of course, Embiid hasn’t played, which is the centerpiece of everything that is wrong with the Sixers. But some teams can avoid being a dumpster fire without their best player. Philadelphia has consistently shown it is not one of those teams." [The Athletic]
Nobody expects the Sixers to be at their best -- or even close to it -- when Embiid is sidelined. But at some point, this team has to be better than it has been without its two-way centerpiece. The Sixers cannot ride Embiid's greatness on its own and get to where they want to be.
Writer Mike Shearer identifies an "X-Factor" for each team. For the Sixers, he singles out Guerschon Yabusele:
"The 76ers faithful haven’t had much to smile about this year, between Joel Embiid shoving a reporter and Embiid and Paul George’s continued absence. But Yabusele has been a rare bright spot.
Six years after his last NBA season, Yabusele has been thrust into a 20-minute-per-night role and largely delivered. His, uh, physical brand of defense leads to a lot of steals (and a lot of fouls), and he’s hit 35 percent of his triples on solid volume.
Yabusele is really the only four-sized four on the roster, so his ability to stick in the rotation could be an underrated storyline for Philly’s playoff hopes (which, of course, hinge entirely upon George and Embiid’s health, but that’s no fun to discuss)." [HoopsHype]
It should be noted that this was written before Yabusele set career-highs across the box score during a breakout performance on Monday night during the Sixers' gutting loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Recapping Sixers' three-game losing streak
Pistons 105, Sixers 95 | Grizzlies 124, Sixers 107 | Sixers 116, Suns 118
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