Philly Plain Dealer

They should probably make one of these signs for Paul George this season 

It’s almost that time of the year of again. Yes, I know there are more exciting things going on in Philadelphia sports. The Phillies just had their best regular season since 2011 and the Eagles are off to a 4-0 start. But hey, can I at least remind myself that another bleak 76ers season is coming right around the corner? 

Let’s start with Joel Embiid. I will forever be a defender of Joel Embiid. Missing over 400 games in 9 seasons isn’t particularly ideal, nor does it make it easy for the average fan to continue to root for him. Can’t blame him though for being injured, but Philly sports fans have a breaking point. The Sixers medical staff has been a laughing stock through Embiid’s tenure with the Sixers, at one point an intern was in charge of his recovery. 

Good news! Embiid is working out without a knee brace. Bad news – Embiid is 31 and has a long history of nagging injuries that seem to return and sideline him frequently. Watching videos of him moving well and looking like his old self might turn into the new “Ben Simmons added a jump shot” annual offseason posts. 

Embiid returning to his MVP self would be a huge boost for the team, considering that the Eastern Conference is wide open this season. It is getting harder to trust that he’ll be able to remain healthy for a full season and a deep playoff run. 

Realistically, Embiid won’t average 33.6 minutes played along with 34.7 points per game. This is where the rest of the team will need to step in order to become serious contenders in the East.

Can Pablo Torre also investigate Steve Ballmer and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment for Paul George’s contract? Surely, there must be something there? There has to be some shell companies connected to him. They didn’t really sign at the time a 34 year old to a 4 year, $212 million max contract? Am I living in “Jacob’s Ladder?” Is this a never ending nightmare? Was I cursed? Why would anyone watch Paul George towards the end of his run on the Clippers and think that was a good idea? If only he can be released like Damian Lillard. Does Philadelphia need his podcast to bring in jobs? Does he know a few guys here? Why Paul George? Will he play the game of basketball? At least Kawhi Leonard is productive when he plays. 

Tyrese Maxey is 24 entering his sixth season in the NBA. He’s coming off a season where he missed 30 games – a growing and concerning trend for the Sixers medical staff – but also averaged 26.3 points per game, along with 6.1 assists. This could be the season the team needs Maxey to step up and blossom into a fringe superstar. He doesn’t have to turn into Stephen Curry overnight, but he does have to pick up the workload as the number one option with Paul George and Joel Embiid’s health and age declining and potentially sidelining them for some games.

The guard situation for the Sixers isn’t bad, but like a broken record, it’s all about health. Second year guard out of Duke, Jared McCain suffered a torn meniscus last season and is already expected to miss 4-6 weeks due to a torn UCL. Rookie V.J. Edgecombe, drafted out of Baylor, has begun to turn some heads and leave quite the impression all summer. His offense may take some time to develop but his defense looks to project well in the NBA. He’s 6’4” but has a wingspan of 6’7.5” and during Summer League, before he also went down, looked to be a menace and hard worker on both sides of the floor. Exactly what this team needs. More high energy guys on the court like him, Maxey, McCain and Oubre. 

What can we expect? Is the Sixers medical team committing medical malpractice? Is Nick Nurse the best coach for this roster? Sure, why not, he’s better than Doc Rivers. The medical staff isn’t committing malpractice either. Instead they may need an Etsy witch to reverse this injury curse placed on them. 

Best case scenario, Embiid becomes an MVP, Paul George actually does return to form and we’re all walking down Broad Street with the team celebrating a Finals victory in June. 

Realistically, this might be a 40-45 win team that will be fighting for one of the final playoff seeds and competing in a couple play-in games. Which to be honest, doesn’t sound too bad in an Eastern Conference that’s been decimated by injuries. Barring another major injury to the top guys, they should still remain a competitive team. 

Will I ever get over the Paul George signing? No. Will Quentin Grimes fit with this team after he finally signs his deal? Probably not. Will I make another 30 minute long video where I watch the tape and criticize every play made by the team? Yeah, I probably will. But hopefully this will be a fun season and not a long, dreadful one like last season. If it starts to look like that by the All-Star break, I think it might be time to start to have some tough conversations around the future of the team. Until then, I guess I’ll try and enjoy the Phillies playoff run and the Eagles hot start to the season. 

May I please walk down Broad Street again, this time celebrating the Sixers with the rotisserie chicken guy, Alexander Tominksy?