The Philadelphia 76ers are facing a major concern ahead of the NBA playoffs due to Joel Embiid and Paul George.
The Philadelphia 76ers are facing a major problem as they enter the stretch run of the NBA regular season.
Philadelphia is without All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George in Thursday's game against the Atlanta Hawks, which highlights the concern at hand. Embiid has appeared in just 31 games this season while George has played in 27 and is suspended until there are 10 games remaining in the regular season.
The major problem the 76ers are facing is a lack of chemistry with their core. The starting five of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, George, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Embiid has rarely seen the floor together this year, largely because of George and Embiid.
Philadelphia analyst Spike Eskin clearly recognizes this concern, as he spoke about it on 94WIP Sports Radio.
"The problem is that if you don't play enough with the team, it's not like you're Michael Jordan, right? You can't just step on the court in the playoffs and win games because you're out there," Eskin said of Embiid. "This is partly Paul George's fault, of course, because of the suspension, but we're going to get the playoffs, and Paul George, Joel Embiid, V.J. Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey will have played what, 20-some games together? That ain't a recipe to win in the playoffs."
Luckily for the 76ers, Maxey has blossomed into an All-NBA-caliber player this season, which has allowed them to stay afloat. They are the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-24.
If healthy, Embiid can be the best player in essentially any playoff series. However, the rest of the lineup will be forced to alter their usual approach to his style of play on the fly.
Maxey admitted it's "weird" having to constantly adjust with Embiid in and out of the rotation, saying, "It's weird, man. It's weird because you gotta play multiple different ways. A lot of times, he sits out; it's on back-to-backs, so it's hard."
As much as the 76ers want to prioritize keeping Embiid healthy for the postseason, it can't come at the cost of sacrificing meaningful time to build chemistry with the rest of the core.
Join The 76ersRoundtable Community
Head over to the 76ersRoundtable page and hit the "Join" button under the featured story... it's completely FREE! You'll have the opportunity to engage with other 76ers fans who live and breathe the team, share your thoughts on the organization, and more. If you're asked to sign up or download the Roundtable app... that's free too.
Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.