For the first time in eight years, the Sixers have failed to make the playoffs. Before recent success came “The Process,” –formative years that saw the Sixers tank in exchange for high draft picks. Obviously, tanking has failed and fans are now looking at a team that finished fifth worst in the NBA with a record of 24 – 58. Whether it is through the players or the coaching staff, changes have to be made if the Sixers want to get past the second round in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Here are my fixes for the Sixers’ dire situation.
The Players
Winning teams tend to have a franchise player that they can rely on to lead them through the season. Whether it is through leadership, statistics, or consistency, franchise players are supposed to rise above others and perform. Our franchise player was supposed to be Joel Embiid. While Embiid is a great player, his injuries have held him back the past two years. In the 2023-2024 season, he played 39 games due to knee problems and other issues. This season he played only 19 games. While Joel Embiid’s skill is undeniable, he can not stay healthy through a full season, making him unreliable to lead the team. Embiid is scheduled to have work done on his knee this offseason, but I believe it may be beyond repair as he has dealt with knee problems for the last two years. We do have other players to step up in Embiid’s absence, however, this season, they did not. Paul George was expected to step up when Embiid needed to miss games, unfortunately the veteran suffered injuries himself. Having two of our best players fall victim to the injury bug made it a struggle to find consistency on the floor. Last summer, the Sixers signed Paul George to a four year deal where he will be making about 50 million per year. 50 million dollars for him to play only half of the season and average just 16 points, disappointing.
On the bright side, there is hope for the Sixers with guards Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. Again though, because of injuries, Maxey, potentially tanked the squad’s record since he was only allowed to only play 52 games. However, in the games he did play, he averaged 26.3 points and looked like a player who can lead the team with supporting pieces around him. One of those pieces was rookie Jared McCain. McCain was on path to win Rookie of The Year averaging 15 points through 23 games and leading rookies in scoring, unfortunately his season was cut short due to a meniscus tear. McCain did show promise and will likely play a key part in the Sixers future.
While Maxey, George, Embiid, and McCain were out, players like Quentin Grimes, Jared Butler, and Adem Bona all showed promise, showcasing the depth that the Sixers possess. However, the lineup was not meant to win games as the Sixers tanked in hopes of a top five pick in the upcoming draft. If they do get a top five pick, they will keep it, but if the pick is lower than fifth overall, we lose it to the Thunder. The Sixers need to add a player with this pick to round off the team and provide support to Maxey, Mccain, and George (when Embiid is out).
The Office
The Sixers main goal under owner Josh Harris has seemed to be making money. The businessman also owns the Washington Commanders and New Jersey Devils in addition to the Sixers. The Sixers need an owner who cares about the team’s performance and does not view them as an investment.. Throughout the horrible years of “The Process,” Josh Harris was apathetic about the fan experience, only thinking about building a team for the future so he could make money. This strategy failed.
Josh Harris also wanted to build a stadium in Chinatown, destroying homes and communities to bring more revenue to the franchise. Feng Jin Lin, a local business owner in Chinatown, in response to the idea of building the stadium said, “China’s culture in here would be destroyed, and people would not be coming here for culture sharings and communications.” Even after hearing from local Chinese business owners like Feng Jin Lin, Harris did not call back the stadium despite the fact that he would be destroying local businesses in Chinatown. Luckily, the Sixers finally decided to keep the stadium in South Philadelphia after months of protest from Chinatown residents and supporters.
A direct contrast to Harris is Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie who only owns the Eagles and is actively involved in decisions made about personnel and players. Lurie loves the Eagles organization and their fans. This type of ownership brought Philadelphia a Super Bowl. If the Sixers want to reach the pinnacle of the basketball world, Harris needs to go.
The Overview
The Sixers can have a bright future ahead, but the players and ownership need to improve in order for this to happen. Instead of building around Joel Embiid, they need to build a team that is balanced without Embiid. The Sixers have not won a championship since 1983 and are not trending in the right direction. However, all it takes to turn it around is keeping the top five pick and staying healthy– then we can have a chance of coming home with the trophy in 2026.
