Unless you’re an Eagles fan, the Philly sports scene has been pretty hard to watch recently. With the NBA season starting back up, many Philadelphia 76ers fans were hoping for a fun and successful season, but so far, it has been the complete opposite.
Nine games into the season, the Sixers hold a 2-7 record, making them the worst team in the NBA (record-wise), tied with the Utah Jazz. On the surface, a team with three all-star players should not be this bad, but when you dive deeper into the team’s shaky start this season, you’ll begin to understand why.
So far, point guard Tyrese Maxey has had to put the entire team on his back, averaging 27.6 points per game as his teammates, center Joel Embiid and forward Paul George, recoup from injuries. Luckily for Maxey, George was able to return for the Sixers game against the Phoenix Suns, but all of that luck went away when George missed the game-tying shot. George was shooting 1-for-7 from the three and 4-for-14 from the field, finishing with a whopping 15 points.
Hopefully, this was just an off-game for the nine-time all-star, but if this trend of streaky shooting is a recurring theme for George, Sixers fans will need MVP center, Embiid, to show up following his return from an injury and a three-game suspension.
Embiid’s suspension was put in effect after he shoved and threatened Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the Sixers’ locker room. Embiid took rightful offense after the reporter’s recent column insulted Embiid’s commitment to the sport, while also mentioning his son and deceased brother, both named Arthur. Hayes has since apologized and edited his article, removing the references to Embiid’s family members.
Sixers fans can only hope the future will become brighter for their team as their two injury-prone stars begin to integrate back into the offense and as their young superstar, Maxey, recuperates from a recent hamstring injury that may keep him out for several weeks.