The Philadelphia 76ers have been a disappointment this season. Joel Embiid played just 19 games for the Sixers this season. Paul George never got out of second gear. And, Tyrese Maxey was forced to carry too many expectations too soon.
According to Patrick Beverley, part of the Sixers issue is that Daryl Morey tried to ‘outsmart the game.’ Beverley believes Morey reacted to Embiid’s injury issues too rashly, leading to a disjointed roster.
“Some GMs try to outsmart the game,” Beverley said. “One player gets hurt, they think the team might go down, we’ll blow it all up. Let’s focus on the draft. I feel like that’s what happened when they traded me and a couple of other people. We had a good f*****g team, right? Yeah, [Joel Embiid] got hurt. Yeah, you go on a downstretch. I think Tyrese Maxey missed a couple of games at the time, so of course, we’re going to lose some games. But we had Nicolas Batum, we had Marcus Morris, Mo Bamba in the cut. Obviously, I was there with everything surrounding. They make the trade for me and bring in Kyle Lowry. It’s no surprise to me why they’re doing so awful.”
Morey hasn’t been shy about making changes to the Sixers roster. However, when you’re consistently swapping out parts of the supporting cast, it’s hard to build a rhythm and culture within the locker room. Morey’s constant chopping and changing certainly had a part to play in the team’s struggles this season.
Morey Must Give the Sixers Some Direction
The Sixers are a team with a simple goal: contend for a championship. However, there is very little direction in terms of how Morey and Nick Nurse envision them playing. The Sixers need an identity, and one that is more than ‘we have Embiid on our roster.’
That type of identity comes by acquiring a specific type of player who can fit into a specific system. If you look at the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder or even the Detroit Pistons, all of them have a certain way of approaching the game. The same can’t be said for Philadelphia.
Once Morey and Nurse are on the same page about how they want to play, they can begin making moves to position the roster for success. Because right now, their scatter gun approach to signing injury-laiden stars and aging veterans isn’t working out.
Nick Nurse Speaks on Maxey’s Injury
Tyrese Maxey will end the season having missed the final 22 games. He will join Embiid and George on the long-term absentee list. When speaking to the media on April 9, head coach Nick Nurse revealed his disappointment in Maxey’s prolonged absence.
“I’m disappointed for sure,” Nurse said. “Again, I thought we were gonna get that thing healed up and get him back and he kinda re-hurt it which I don’t like either at the practice. I keep saying I want these guys to get as healthy as they can as quickly as they can because there’s still work to do on getting better and working on their craft.”
Nurse continued.
“I was kinda hoping to use some of these games with letting him experiment with even more things. So I’m disappointed, but we’re here and there’s only a few games left anyway, but I’m disappointed.”
Sixers fans will undoubtedly be hoping that next season brings a turnaround in fortune. For that to happen, there needs to be alignment from the front office down to the players. Only then can the Sixers begin building for a sustainable future.
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