Things Are Quickly Getting Very Ugly With the Sixers, As They Currently Sit at 2-10 on The Year

Corey Chmara

The Philadelphia 76ers currently sit at 2-10 overall and are 12th in the Eastern Conference. They are 1-8 over their last 9 games, and things just continue to get worse and worse, even though it should be the opposite with Joel Embiid starting to play (sometimes).

This past week, the Sixers went 0-3 straight up in their three games, all against playoff teams in the East. They faced the New York Knicks last Tuesday for Joel Embiid's return; however, he looked very, very bad. Embiid finished that game with just 13 points on 2-11 shooting in 26 minutes. That was expected, though, considering it was his first game of the season. Following the loss to the Knicks (111-99), the Sixers played the Cavs the next day, who are still undefeated this season with a 15-0 record. Both Embiid and Paul George didn't play for Philly, and it was essentially a "throwaway" game. They lost 114-106.

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While both of these games were expected to be great challenges for the Sixers to win, they stayed in these games until the very end but just couldn't get over the hump and make timely baskets. The Sixers then flew down to Orlando to play the Magic on Friday night, who were without All-Star Paolo Banchero. To nobody's shock, the Sixers fell short yet again by a score of 98-86. This was the lowest point total the Sixers have scored in a game so far this season.

The only bright spot—and I really mean the only bright spot—for the Sixers so far this season has been standout rookie guard Jared McCain. McCain is literally the only reason some fans have been tuning into games this year, as he's been averaging 26.2 ppg over his last five games. With Maxey out, it was crucial that McCain stepped up to fill the void of ball-handling and scoring, which he has. The Sixers, however, are still losing basketball games. It's a combination of poor shot selection, chemistry, bad coaching, poor offense, etc., and yes, I could go on and on with more flaws, but there's a word limit.

Joel Embiid, in his first two games of the season, is averaging 16.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg on 26.9% from the field, which is historically awful considering he's a big man and should be getting his buckets from close or near the basket. Not to mention, Embiid is shooting just 10% from three through his first two games. Embiid looked much better against the Magic than he did in his debut against the Knicks, but still shot 5-15 overall and had 6 turnovers.

As for Paul George, he has shown signs of being "the Paul George the 76ers needed," but he's also shown signs of an inconsistent, older veteran who just doesn't have it anymore. He's averaging 16.5 ppg on 39.8% shooting. As time goes on, I expect George to continue to progress and look better, but his shot selection really needs to improve. Many times, I question some of the shots he takes; however, he has proven in his career that he can make tough shots. In six games this season, Paul George has surpassed 20 points just once. The Sixers need to get George and Embiid both into the 20s each game if they want any chance of winning.

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Moving on, the role players for the 76ers have been all over the place. Nick Nurse will play Jeff Dowtin 20+ minutes one game and then less than 5 minutes the next. Jeff Dowtin should not be playing at all unless the game is a blowout. The Sixers signed Reggie Jackson for a reason in free agency, and in my opinion, he brings much more to the table than Dowtin does. Dowtin should not even be on an NBA roster, let alone playing 20+ minutes some nights. As for Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, Kyle Lowry, and Andre Drummond, all of them have sort of been what I expected. Some nights, maybe one of them has a hot hand, but the three-point shooting needs to be better. The Sixers rank 29th in 3PT percentage in the NBA at 32.3%, which shouldn't be the case considering Daryl Morey went out and signed a ton of free agents who can shoot. The Sixers also shoot 42.8% FG, which is dead last in the league. I put most of the blame on Nick Nurse, as it's his job to run good offensive sets and get the Sixers open looks. And I'm not saying they haven't had open looks, but it's also on the players to make the open shots they have.

This past offseason, the Sixers went out and signed Andre Drummond. Drummond has been terrible in my eyes for the Sixers so far this season. While his stats (8.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) don't look awful, he's shooting just 49.3% FG, the lowest of his career. The only shots Drummond should be taking are in the paint, and while a majority of his shots are in the paint, he can't finish. Besides his shooting, Drummond also appears to have an extremely hard time actually grabbing rebounds. I feel like every time he's in position to grab a rebound, he either bobbles it and taps it out of bounds. He was brought in to finish around the basket and grab rebounds, both of which he has done a very poor job at through his first 11 games with the team.

The Sixers have four games this week: Monday at the Miami Heat, Wednesday at the Memphis Grizzlies, Friday vs. the Brooklyn Nets, and Sunday vs. the Los Angeles Clippers. Embiid (illness) is reportedly doubtful for Monday's game vs. the Miami Heat, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, which is just another jab at the heart for us Sixers fans and essentially counts as a loss for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey is expected to return this week, and my guess is that he returns Friday night at home vs. the Brooklyn Nets. It'll be very interesting to see how the trio of Embiid, George, and Maxey plays together, as well as if Jared McCain enters the starting lineup over Kelly Oubre or Caleb Martin. Realistically, the Sixers finishing this week 2-2 overall should not be too tall of a task, but again, we'll take anything at this point.

While it's still early, wins appear to be at a premium for the Sixers, and they have to start making adjustments and shots to win some games.