Philadelphia 76ers Face Two Risky Paths for Rest of NBA Regular Season

On Episode 3 of the 76ersRoundtable Podcast with Anthony Pasciolla and Anthony Aguirre, the co-hosts discussed what the Philadelphia 76ers should do for the remainder of the season.

The question raised by Pasciolla was should the Sixers continue to compete with their ''Big Three' of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George sidelined, or should they look to tank for a spot in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery?

Check out the highlights of the conversation below:

Pasciolla: "This Tyrese Maxey injury, to me, raises a very big question about what Philadelphia needs to do for the rest of the season. They're the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. There are about 18 to 20 games remaining in the regular season. They have two main options, and both are very risky in my opinion."

Pasciolla: "You either try and win games with a V.J. Edgecombe-led team, and then Paul George will come back at the end of March and you battle for the six seed but likely end up in the Play-In Tournament. Or, do you tank the rest of the season, shut down George, Embiid, and Maxey, and do you send out a prayer on draft lottery night that your pick falls into the top four because their pick belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder [top four protected]?"

Aguirre: "The last thing the league needs is OKC to get another lottery pick... but I think after what you guys [the 76ers] went through last season, I don't think these veterans want to go through that again. I imagine they would not want to lose. I understand you would want your pick, but getting into the top four is already hard enough. You have too many tanking teams like Utah and Washington. I think your best bet is to try and win." 

Pasciolla: "I agree with you completely, mainly because there is a world where the 'Big Three' does get healthy at the right time, and then you really don't want to see a healthy 76ers team in the postseason."

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Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.