While there may be advantages to tanking the rest of the season, the Sixers made their intentions clear with a pair of huge wins this weekend. They defeated the East-leading Cavaliers at home on Friday and topped the Bulls on Saturday to pull to within a game of Chicago for the 10th spot in the conference.
Philadelphia is still committed to winning despite a horrendous start and a 17-27 record midway through the season, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic. Injuries have limited Joel Embiid to 13 games so far, but majority owner Josh Harris told Aldridge that the organization remains confident he’ll be able to return and lead the Sixers into the playoffs.
“We’re still really happy with Joel,” Harris said. “He’s a warrior. I’ve seen this. He’s fought through a lot of injuries. You remember when we started, in his first (two) years, he didn’t play at all. And then, in his third year, he played 30-something games. And then, he fought through all of that, and became the MVP. So, he’s fighting right now, and we’re fighting. And I’m hopeful and optimistic that we’ll get through.
“I want him to get his body right and get on the court. If he gets back on the court, everything’s going to fall into place. I know him as a person, and I know him as an individual, and I know how hard he’s working. I think he’s also super-smart and very in-tune with his body. He has a whole team around him, and we have a whole team around him. He’s getting the absolute best care and best advice. I’m hopeful that he’ll fight through this and make it happen, and that’s what we’re going to plan for right now.”
Embiid is currently dealing with swelling in his left knee that began during a workout last week. He was projected to miss at least seven to 10 days, so an update on his status should be coming soon. Before that, he sat out the previous six games due to a sprained left foot that has since healed.
According to Aldridge, the Sixers don’t believe Embiid’s knee issue will require surgery and they remain hopeful that he’ll return to action “sooner rather than later.” They don’t view extended rest as the best solution, considering him to be more effective when he’s playing and practicing regularly.
Aldridge also hears that the Sixers aren’t convinced that the benefits of a tank would be worthwhile, despite the fact that they would keep their 2025 first-round pick if it lands in the top six. With 17 wins already, it would be difficult for the club to get higher than fifth or sixth in the lottery race.
League sources tell Aldridge that the front office doesn’t see much difference between the quality of a pick in that No. 5-6 range or a selection a little later in the first round that would have to be sent to Oklahoma City. He adds that it would be difficult to sell a tanking strategy to Paul George, who came to Philadelphia on a four-year, $212MM contract in free agency last summer, or to Tyrese Maxey, who recently agreed to a five-year, $204MM extension.
“To be honest, we don’t know what we look like, because we haven’t been healthy. So, to be honest, we might have enough in here already,” George said after the win over Cleveland.
The Sixers’ history of tanking also has to be considered, Aldridge adds. Embiid was the only real prize to show from four years of losing during “The Process” era, and fans might not be on board with heading down that road again, even if it’s only for half a season.
Harris emphasized that he has no interest in pursuing that strategy.
“I would say that, again, we always start with trying to build elite teams,” he said. “We started this season with two potential Hall of Famers, and one All-Star. We were very excited about the season. Obviously, it’s been a disappointing season. No one’s happy with where we are. We’re not happy. I go to a lot of games. We want to be winning and creating the contending team that we’ve had over the last five years. The injuries haven’t helped us. The elite team we had hasn’t been on the court more than seven games, where they started and finished the game. We won six of seven of those. I think we got it right.
“But what’s happened is, obviously, Joel hasn’t played a lot. He’s the lynchpin of the whole thing. When he doesn’t play, the pressure comes on Paul, and it comes on Tyrese. And Tyrese has had to carry a lot of the load, and, in some cases, Paul has had to carry a lot of the load. And people have had to do things that they weren’t necessarily prepared for.”
