Normally, we kick off every week with 5 Sixers thoughts as a device to hit on all sorts of wide-ranging trends, storylines and other things which may prove to be relevant down the line. But today, it will be a bit different.
I was one of a few people in the city of Philadelphia watching the Sixers lose to the Orlando Magic on Sunday evening while everyone else watched and enjoyed as the Eagles stifled Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers time and time again.
The Sixers fell to the Magic, 104-99, with Joel Embiid, Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry and KJ Martin all sidelined. But Orlando, who powered its way to a 23-18 record through the halfway point of the season despite also being devastated by the injury bug, was without Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Two of their starters, Tristan da Silva and Goga Bitadze, left the game during the first half and did not return.
Perhaps the headliner when it comes to the Sixers and their late-game collapse in Orlando was that Paul George finally found a groove, posting an excellent performance in the third quarter, then knocked down two clutch triples in the fourth quarter before once again fouling out. With far too much weight on the shoulders of Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers' late-game offense cratered down the stretch.
George's continued issues with fouling are confounding, but even when ignoring that sort of bigger-picture issue, looking back at the game shows several occasions in which various Sixers made the most avoidable of mistakes. When those pile up, you have your culprit for a loss which came down to the final seconds.
Observe this comedy of errors from the Sixers in Sunday's loss:
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Ricky Council IV's wild shot attempt
Council's second NBA season has largely been a disappointment after showing so many flashes of excellence as an undrafted rookie who spent much of last season on a two-way contract. And after this ill-advised shot attempt on Sunday, Council was once again supplanted in the rotation by the Sixers' new undrafted rookie two-way wing, Justin Edwards, who also replaced Council in the rotation earlier this month.
For someone who is not a particularly good shooter, Council takes a massive percentage of his three-point attempts from multiple steps beyond the arc. Oftentimes, it is not the most advisable shot, but it is coming as the shot clock expires.
But here, Council was well beyond the three-point line with a full five seconds remaining on the shot clock. Not only does he not attempt to get closer to the rim on a drive, where he at his best in a half-court setting, but he steps back before launching a shot that does not come close:
Nobody has ever doubted that Council has the necessary athleticism and physical gifts to impact winning in the NBA. And as someone who is not yet halfway through his first full season on a standard NBA contract, he has time to learn. But when people wonder why Council does not play as much as many had hoped, the answer is this: he is far too liable to make poor decisions which give head coach Nick Nurse and his staff pause.
Nobody guards Cory Joseph
Generally, a good rule of thumb is to guard a player who has the ball. The Sixers forgot about that here:
Joseph, a career 34.9 percent shooter from beyond the arc, is not exactly a sniper. But just about any NBA guard will happily take a wide-open three with all of the time in the world to get their feet set. That is exactly what Joseph is enabled to do by some sort of communication breakdown, seemingly between George and Reggie Jackson.
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Kelly Oubre Jr. falls asleep on the glass
Oubre's intensity has been a godsend for the Sixers during their slump -- their inability to be locked in from possession to possession would be even more disastrous if not for Oubre's infectious hustle on both ends of the floor dragging the team upwards.
But on this play, Oubre fell asleep on the glass, thinking an uncontested rebound was coming his way. Instead, former Sixer Trevelin Queen swooped in and knocked the ball off of Oubre and out of bounds, giving the Magic another chance to score:
For those keeping track at home, Orlando indeed scored after Queen's hustle play generated an extra possession.
George doesn't get back, nobody communicates
The Sixers had their most healthy lead of the game late in the third quarter as George led the way with 11 points in a dozen minutes. But on this play, the nine-time All-Star just does not get back on defense quickly enough. Magic guard Anthony Black has enough time to get up off of the hardwood and beat George to the other end of the floor with ease.
Because George is trailing the play, the Sixers are in an uncomfortable spot, but not exactly untenable. Jackson needs to cover Black under the rim and either contest a shot near the basket or force a pass to the corner. But nobody ever seems to communicate that with Jackson, who has no idea he is the only one who can stop Black from throwing down the easiest dunk he will see all season:
All of these plays matter. No team can lock in completely for every single possession over the course of 48 minutes of an NBA basketball game. No team has crisp execution in each game they play. But the Sixers losing a game by five points to a team dealing with even more injuries than the Sixers were should sting even more when just a quick rewatch of the game shows so many plays that are not just miscues, but painfully brutal ones.
Trade proposal of the week
We will have plenty of stories about the Sixers and the evolving trade market in the next few weeks before the trade deadline comes and goes, but each Monday until the deadline passes, 5 Sixers thoughts will end with a trade proposal.
In the first one, the Sixers add a point guard to the mix as the combination of Jackson, Kyle Lowry and Jeff Dowtin Jr. continue to struggle to provide Nurse with quality minutes when Maxey is on the bench.
Sixers receive: Aaron Holiday
Rockets receive: Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, 2028 second-round pick, 2031 second-round pick, right to swap 2030 second-round picks
Holiday, 28, is on the fringes of Rockets head coach Ime Udoka's rotation at the moment. He has appeared in 26 of 37 contests, averaging 10.5 minutes per game. The Rockets have exceptional depth, an open roster spot and must eventually clear a path for more consistent playing time for rookie No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard, who just averaged more than 30 points per game in a three-game G League stint.
Two second-round picks and a second-round pick swap may feel like a bit much for the Sixers to give up for an unproven 28-year-old, but this trade also sheds a 2025-26 cap hit: Gordon, who has significant history in Houston, has a player option worth just under $3.5 million for next season.
In this deal, the Sixers would be (hopefully) finding a decent upgrade at backup point guard in a low-minute rotation role for the remainder of the season. But they would also be replacing Gordon's player option for nearly $3.5 million next season with a team option on Holiday's deal worth $4.9 million.
The cost of doing business here -- the two second-rounders and distant a second-round swap right -- is what it could take to, in the same move, find ball-handling depth and stability and clear out a decent chunk of change owed to two players whose contracts the Sixers likely regret handing out.
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