The Sixers are in the gutter and there are many reasons why

The Philadelphia 76ers are a hot mess almost halfway through the 2024-25 NBA season with no turnaround in sight.

At the time of writing this, the Sixers are 15-22 and 2 games back of the last play-in spot. Philly just dropped a heart-breaker to the Orlando Magic on Sunday, where they blew another game in which they were leading late.

There is no end in sight to the misery that Sixers fans have endured this season, as a brutal stretch of schedule is ahead. 14 of Philadelphia’s next 15 games will be against teams that are over .500 at the time of writing.

The Sixers had high expectations going into the season and were expected to be a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference and contend for an NBA title with the newly established big three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.

Superstar Center, former MVP and face of the franchise Joel Embiid has only appeared in 13 games of his team’s 37 games this season and has missed the last 5 games to date.

Embiid’s absence has been incredibly detrimental to the 76ers’ season and no one has any idea how Embiid seems to be having a new injury after every game he has played in or why he chose to play in the Olympics for Team USA just a few months after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

In addition to Embiid’s absence, the Sixers headline offseason acquisition Paul George has been underwhelming to say the least, however he has picked up the slack in the last few games, scoring 25 points in back-to-back games.

George averages 16.8 points this season which is nowhere near the output of a player getting paid nearly $212 million for the next four seasons.

Paul George looks like Tobias Harris 2.0 thus far. Both players signed big contracts with Philly, Harris failed to live up to his 5-year $180 million deal, while George failed to live up to his contract and expectations.

On top of George, other offseason acquisitions have failed to really do anything. Most notably Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson and Caleb Martin.

President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey left a void at the team’s power forward position, letting Nicolas Batum and Tobias Harris, the only power forwards on the roster, walk. Harris was replaced by George, but the team does not have a viable 4 off the bench this season. Morey also failed to address a longstanding problem with the team for a 5th straight offseason, the bench.

The Sixers bench has been brutal for as long as I can remember and are in the basement of the league with the 6th worst bench, averaging just 31.4 points per game.

Head Coach Nick Nurse should not be off the hook either. In the beginning of the season, he failed to give rookie sensation Jared McCain playing time, until injuries forced his hand to play the former Duke star.

McCain was a rookie of the year favorite, averaging 15.3 points in 23 games before being ruled out for the season with a torn meniscus.

Nurse also has failed to make the proper adjustments in games, something he excelled at last season and in his time as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.

Tyrese Maxey has been a one man show this season and is the only player on the team willing to give it his all night in, night out and is on his way toward another All-Star nomination. Maxey was rewarded with a 5-year $204 million extension this offseason and is averaging 25.8 points per game.

The Sixers' failures this season will remind every NBA fan of the Brooklyn Nets' failed big three just a few years ago. Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving played 16 games together in two seasons, going 13-3 in those games. Embiid, Maxey and George have only played 6 games together and are 5-1 when all 3 play.

From injuries to poor coaching, to a lack of effort from players, to poor roster construction, the 2024-25 season for the Sixers seems all but lost nearly halfway through the season and will likely take a miracle to turn around with how pitiful the team has been.

The next 15 games can either be the stretch that changes the course of the season or spell total doom in Philly and possibly cost Nick Nurse his job.

The Sixers may be faltering but hey, at least they are getting a new arena in South Philly… in 2031.


Ian Rothenberg is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email imr5327@psu.edu