Paul George’s loser mentality about getting doubled sums up the 76ers’ issues.
The Philadelphia 76ers entered this season as one of the presumed NBA title contender heavyweights. Instead, at the time of this writing, they are just 2-11, with Tyrese Maxey openly calling out Joel Embiid’s lacking leadership in a recent team meeting. Woof.
But in case you thought Embiid was the 76ers’ only issue, it sure seems like they might have a Paul George problem, too.
In a snippet from a recent episode of George’s podcast, Podcast P with Paul George, George openly complains about JJ Reddick telling the Los Angeles Lakers to double-team him during a 116-108 win over the 76ers on Friday, November 8.
Why was George frustrated by the double-team strategy?
Because, and I’m not making this up, George said he was still on a minutes restriction from an early-season injury. He didn’t appreciate the extra-hard competition because he was concerned about getting back into a good rhythm and flow rather than seeing his life on the court get more strenuous against a team trying to, you know, win.
C’mon, man. That’s a loser mentality if I’ve ever heard it:
Honestly, what did George expect? Both Embiid and starting point guard Tyrese Maxey didn’t play in that game against the Lakers. So of course George — a nine-time All-Star — will get double-teamed to ideally get the ball out of his hands. Los Angeles owes absolutely nothing to George’s or the 76ers’ vision for his injury recovery.
The Lakers are trying to win a game. Period.
And George complaining about it after the fact is very telling about his mindset. Based on the laughing emoji in his podcast’s promotional tweet for the snippet, you can assume he thinks that saying this in public is funny and “viral,” too. (Hey, it worked to get this article out there, didn’t it? Just probably not what George intended).
Buddy, admitting you were bothered by an opposing team taking you seriously because you didn’t want to compete that hard is a problem in any context. Especially when your team is nine games under .500 in mid-November. Now was not the time for that kind of humor. No one was going to laugh.
Because the 76ers reside in the miserable Eastern Conference, all their dreams of a good season with their new big three remain intact.
But when I see their MVP-caliber center getting called out by teammates only a few weeks into the year, followed by another supposed team “leader” complaining about competition, I feel pretty comfortable asserting they won’t turn anything around.
The vibes are not great in Philadelphia right now.
The Philadelphia 76ers were supposed to be one of the teams that we thought could dethrone the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference this year. After Philly picked up Paul George, it seemed like this team was ready to compete for a championship.
We’re about a month into the season now and the 76ers are one of the worst teams in the league with a 2-11 record.
Joel Embiid missed a chunk of time there with rest and a suspension. Regardless, this team does not look great. The vibes don’t sound too great, either.
In the meeting, Tyrese Maxey called out Embiid. Here’s more from Shams:
“Maxey challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities, calling out the 2022-23 league MVP about being late “for everything” and how it impacts the locker room, from other players to the coaching staff, sources briefed on the meeting told ESPN.”
Charania went on to report that there’s no beef between the two of them and that they hold each other accountable like this frequently.
But, still. The fact that this needed to happen so early in the season when the team looks as bad as it has since the early days of The Process is not a great sign for things at all.
Philly isn’t supposed to be a bottom feeder. This is a team that was put together to compete at the top of the East. It’s not too late to do that. But, to simply win 50 games again, Philly would have to win 48 of its next 69 games. That’s not impossible, but it’s tough to do. And if Joel Embiid isn’t locked in, it won’t happen.
Good on Maxey for trying to get his teammate in gear. Let’s see if it works.
A brush with stardom occurred for young Trojan hoopers: A 7-time NBA All-Star made an appearance at USC basketball practice this week.
The USC Trojans and Eric Musselman had a surprise visitor during their basketball practice earlier this week. Joel Embiid, a seven-time NBA All-Star for the Philadelphia 76ers, dropped by the Galen Center to watch USC basketball practice on Wednesday.
The 76ers were in Los Angeles on Wednesday to face the Clippers when the former MVP, who is currently sidelined due to a suspension, decided to visit the team.
Embiid comically towered over head coach Eric Musselman in a picture posted to Musselman’s X/Twitter account the same day.
Later that evening, Musselman attended the Clippers versus Sixers matchup and met up with former Trojans Caleb Martin and Ricky Council IV after the game, evidenced by another X/Twitter post.
Musselman is having an immediate impact on USC. He intends to start his tenure with a main focus on changing the culture of the team. Bringing in a former NBA MVP certainly helps to achieve that goal.
The NBA is investigating an altercation between Joel Embiid and a Philadelphia sports columnist.
Joel Embiid shouted at and eventually shoved a Philadelphia sports columnist in the 76ers locker room during an exchange of words after Saturday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The altercation stemmed from a story written by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes that mentioned Embiid’s son and late brother in a criticism of the center’s lack of availability for the 76ers. The column’s lede crossed a line that could unfortunately result in Embiid missing even more time than he already has.
Here’s what Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes wrote, before his altercation with Joel Embiid tonight: pic.twitter.com/7nVvs4RfnP
The altercation began with Embiid confronting Hayes as reporters entered the locker room, according to ESPN, saying “the next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I’m going to do to you and I’m going to have to … live with the consequences.”
The NBA is investigating what happened, a league spokesperson told ESPN’s Shams Charania. There hasn’t been mention of discipline for Embiid yet, though that’s completely within the realm of possibility and maybe even an expected consequence for his actions — just like Hayes getting shoved could have been an expected consequence for what he wrote.
Considering the personal nature of the column, Hayes is lucky things didn’t escalate further.
"Joel Embiid got into a physical altercation, shoving a columnist in the postgame locker room tonight." @ShamsCharania on Joel Embiid and the NBA's investigation into the incident on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/p2z3nJqrEY
Using Embiid’s family the way Hayes did was disgusting and completely unnecessary for a critique about how much Embiid plays. I firmly believe in keeping your hands to yourself, but Embiid’s reaction is not hard to understand. If anything, it should be a lesson learned for the entire sports media industry that some things are off limits.
Hayes seemed to understand as much, apologizing on X for the Oct. 23 column just a few hours after it published and removing any mention of Embiid’s family. That it was possible to edit without changing the column proves how unnecessary that part was to begin with.
According to ESPN, Hayes also offered an apology to Embiid during Saturday’s altercation. Embiid, who previously addressed Hayes while talking to reporters Friday, saying “I’ve done way too much for this [expletive] city to be treated like this,” rejected the apology.
“That’s not the [expletive] first time,” Embiid said.
I’m not familiar enough with Hayes to know whether that’s true. But if the column does follow a similar pattern of behavior, Hayes needs to be held equally accountable as Embiid. If he can’t get his points across without personal attacks on athletes, the Inquirer should find a columnist who can.
The 76ers are handling their Joel Embiid and Paul George plan in the worst possible way.
The Philadelphia 76ers are committed to conserving Joel Embiid and Paul George as much as they possibly can for a hopeful deep postseason run. Which, as they should be. But after a troubling 1-2 start without their two best players, it seems head coach Nick Nurse might be getting a little fed up by the whole predicament.
On Tuesday, the 76ers released a statement that both Embiid and George would miss the team’s home matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. They will apparently be reevaluated later this week, but there is no set debut date in the books yet. (Note: Philadelphia does not play again until Saturday.)
As one should expect, Nurse naturally fielded questions about the health of Embiid and George at a press conference after the statement. I should say that he took two questions before passive-aggressively cutting everyone off and changing the subject.
Uh, testy much?
After this Sixers’ statement was released, Nick Nurse took two questions regarding the absences of his stars before cutting off questions on the subject. Full video of that first minute of his presser: https://t.co/toyRXP212Ypic.twitter.com/N9WFqsMXXl
Look, I understand Nurse’s frustration about repeatedly having a conversation that hasn’t had a resolution for over a week now. There are few things I think people are more annoyed by than having to repeat themselves over and over. From this regard, the testiness is warranted.
At the same time, as the 76ers relatively struggle, any questions about George and Embiid likely missing almost the team’s first two weeks of the season are reasonable. This entire rebuilt Philadelphia core is centered around those two playing and playing at a high level — even if it’s less than you might expect during the regular season.
All anyone is asking for is more transparency about the status of two All-NBA-caliber superstars. Philadelphia’s fans deserve as much, even if they’ve bought into the idea of their team trying to be ready for mid-April first.
Nurse should really be more cognizant of that dynamic instead of offering up touchy responses like this.
Here’s what we know about Joel Embiid and Paul George.
The Philadelphia 76ers begin one of the most anticipated seasons in their franchise history on Wednesday against Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks. Unfortunately, it starts with a little bit of a damper, as star center Joel Embiid and newly acquired forward Paul George will both miss the opener with respective knee injuries.
Here’s what we know about their current status and when we might see Embiid and George share the floor together.
Embiid’s left knee ailment — where he tore his meniscus last year — is nothing new. He did not appear in Philadelphia’s preseason as part of an apparent 76ers load management plan to ensure he stays healthy throughout the year and is ready to go for the postseason.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Embiid is ramping up his activity this week with an undisclosed planned return sometime after.
George, on the other hand, is dealing with a hyperextended left knee that was unfortunately suffered earlier this preseason. There is no definitive timetable on George’s official debut with the 76ers as he is set to be reevaluated sometime this week.
Take heed and be patient, 76ers fans. Your team’s new and exciting era will begin soon enough … even if it’s a little delayed.
Philadelphia 76ers rookie and TikTok star Jared McCain spoke to USA TODAY’s For The Win.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain will bring his infectious energy from Duke to the pros during his NBA career.
McCain, who was selected with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is also widely known for his popular TikTok account. With more than 3 million followers on the social media platform, he often shares a fresh and candid perspective on his life as a professional basketball player.
“I think my social media persona displays a certain side of me,” McCain told USA TODAY’s For The Win. “But I’m a hard-working player doing what I need to do on the court to help my team win. So if that’s being a dog or however people see my game, I’m going to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
McCain isn’t yet sure how his TikTok presence will impact how other pros play against him.
But he is excited to find out when the regular-season begins and he is matched up against the elite of the elite.
“I don’t know how other NBA players view me,” McCain added. “But we will just see when we get out there and play.”
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What can you share about your offseason?
(Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
McCain: I had to get a place in Philly and get moved in and do all the little things I had to do to move into my own spot. I definitely had to work on my game. I was watching film with coaches and by myself and stayed in the gym. I was doing stuff I will be doing this season: Catch and shoot, a lot of stuff I’ve been doing my whole life, but perfecting it as much as I can to play this season. Coming into the NBA, there is so much unknown. So for me, it’s doing a little bit of everything but mostly focusing on my main role as a catch-and-shoot guy in the corners when they go and double Paul George or Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey. I’m going to be able to make that catch-and-shoot shot. I’m obviously always trying to be a primary ball handler so I’m trying to perfect that and come off ball screens and make the right reads. I’m trying to learn as much as I can and get that catch-and-shoot perfected.
How were your workouts with your new teammates?
McCain: The workouts were really cool. It was really cool getting to know them and see how they actually work and how they play. We had some training with the team separately and then we played at the Rico Hines runs. It was really cool to get to know them and talk to them because these are people I will spend a lot of time with in this long season. So it was really cool to see Paul George catch the ball in the mid-post and shoot a jumper. That was cool for me. One of my strengths is being able to adapt to any situation so I’m excited to learn my role, whatever it’s going to be. Obviously, there are things you think will happen and it may not be that. But I’ll be ready. I have a quick release. If my man leaves to go double one of them, I’m ready to knock that down.
How was it meeting Paul George as a guest on his podcast?
McCain: It’s pretty crazy that he’s my teammate considering I’ve watched him since I was in middle school. It was pretty surreal to meet him before the podcast was recorded. I’ve watched his podcast before, so going on it was amazing for me. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel real that I’m in the NBA. I walk in the locker room and I see Joel Embiid’s locker or Paul George’s locker. It’s so crazy to me. But it’s obviously really fun getting to see them up close and learn from them. It will probably feel real when I’m in the locker room and putting on my Philadelphia 76ers jersey and getting ready for a regular-season game will be wild.
What are your expectations for Duke this season?
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
McCain: Oh yeah. I’m very excited to watch them. It’s so weird just being a fan now and not a player even though I was only there for a few months. But I’m really excited. The practices I’ve seen, they look good. I’m just super excited to watch them play this season. It’s basically like my second home. It’s not too far from Philly. Getting to know the other Duke players in the NBA when I was there, they would come back. Jayson Tatum would come play pickup with us. It’s so cool that there are so many Duke players in the NBA that I’m able to talk to and ask for advice.
Patrick Beverley gave you advice. What other advice have you received from pros?
(Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
McCain: A lot of stuff I’ve asked players, they say I need to continue to be myself. You don’t have to put on a show for anyone else. Always stay true to yourself. Have fun with it. That just reiterates what I always do for myself. I always try to have fun and joy on the court. So to have people who have been there and done that tell me that it’s exactly what I need to do gives me more confidence for sure.
Have you and Tyrese Maxey talked about bringing positivity to the backcourt?
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
McCain: We haven’t talked about that, specifically, but a lot of people have mentioned it to me throughout this facility being on the 76ers with him. It’s really cool to have someone positive like him who I can go to for any help and any advice I need. He has been through a situation like mine and he is someone who I am trying to emulate exactly, both with what he does and how he has done it.
What is something that inspires you about Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham?
McCain: Just watching somebody as young as he is dominate how he does, I always love that. He always does it with a smile on his face, too. The stuff he does off the pitch is really to see and something I’m trying to do as well. I love seeing young players thrive and have success early.
How have you liked your move to Philadelphia so far?
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
McCain: The city vibe is a little bit different. I haven’t had too much time to just explore yet but I’m excited to start doing that and see what Philly has to offer. I’ve tried some cheesesteaks. I’ve tried Angelo’s, which was really good. I tried a Chinese restaurant and I’ve probably already had it like five times. Once I get one place I like, I try to stick to it for a long time. I’m definitely willing to try some new things. I want to do more exploring.
If you could make a TikTok with anyone in the NBA, who would it be?
McCain: [Laughs] Probably Stephen Curry! It would be pretty cool to get Curry in a TikTok. Maybe I’ll see one day. I’d have to meet him and get to talk to him a little more about that.
You had a TikTok about journaling in Lyft cars. Do you actually do that?
McCain: It’s funny. Being in Philly, I’m not a big driver out there. It’s pretty easy being able to Lyft and journal in the car. I’m able to do that on the way back to my place or on the way to work. It’s my daily routine, which is journaling and meditation and breathing work and visualization. I also talk to a psychologist. I do all different types of things to help my mind and exercise my mind to get it in peak performance. I’ve said it many times: If my mental health is not right, I’m not going to play the best that I can. So I’m always trying to take care of my mental health, especially playing in the NBA. Everything you do is under a microscope.
Have you gotten recognized much around the city in a Lyft or otherwise?
McCain: That happens a bunch, actually. Especially when I’m going to the facility. It won’t say 76ers practice facility as a destination but it will say that once you get close. The drivers have sometimes said: “Wait, are you a player?” I’m like, uh, yeah. Then sometime they’ll know, like, exactly who I am. Then sometimes they’ll be like: “Oh my goodness!” and ask what number I am going to wear. It’s pretty funny when it happens but they’ve always been cool and it’s pretty easy and pretty nice.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you had a great week and have an even better weekend ahead of you.
I know one person who definitely does: Joel Embiid.
The 76ers star player has to be swimming in pools of cash at this point. Embiid reportedly signed a three-year, $193 million extension with the 76ers on Friday, according to the latest from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The deal keeps Embiid locked in with the 76ers through his prime. By the end of the deal he’ll be 35 years old. We don’t know how long it’ll be until he retires, obviously, but he’ll have given his best years to Philadelphia.
This is a no-brainer deal for Daryl Morey and the 76ers. Embiid is arguably the best player in the NBA when healthy. His 34.1 Player Efficiency Rating last season was on track to be the highest in a single NBA season by far before injuries disqualified him from going down in the history books. You don’t let a player like that walk out the door.
But, still, the deal is quite risky despite how good he is. Why? You already know the answer. It’s because of his health.
Again, Embiid is arguably the best player in the NBA when healthy. But the problem is his health is always a question. He’s never played more than 68 games in a single season. Last year, he only played 39 total after tearing his meniscus before the All-Star break. That’s not ideal for a player a team will be investing more than $60 million into.
With that said, the 76ers should be more than comfortable with this deal, injury history aside.
The first reason is obvious: He’s awesome. We don’t need to go over that again. But this team is also built to withstand a significant injury to their star player. As best as it can, anyway.
The 76ers have two All-Stars in Tyrese Maxey and, the team’s newest addition, Paul George. Behind them are solid rotation players who’ve contributed to teams that have made deep playoff runs, like Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Reggie Jackson, and more. Philadelphia also retained Kelly Oubre, who made key contributions to keep the team afloat after Embiid went down last season.
Obviously, it isn’t ideal for a team’s best player to go down — especially not when that player is as good as Embiid is. But if there’s a roster that might withstand a bit of that impact, it’s this one.
The 76ers are in a great spot and should be considered a championship contender moving through this extension with Embiid.
Are the Winds a’changin’?
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
We’ve all been wondering who Adrian Wojnarowski’s replacement at ESPN might be now that he’s retired.
Apparently, however, ESPN’s search might not branch out too far. According to Front Office Sports, many around the industry believe Woj’s replacement is already at the company. Brian Windhorst shouldn’t be overlooked, writes FOS’s Michael McCarthy.
“Charania may want to tread carefully in negotiations, since ESPN has its own deep roster of NBA insiders and analysts. Start with Brian Windhorst. He’s covered LeBron James since high school. “He’s criminally underrated,” said one source. In fact, sources whisper Wojnarowski’s departure could pave the way for Windhorst’s ascension, that the feeling in some circles is he’s been held back by Woj’s outsized presence.”
Windhorst has been a staple at ESPN for years — he even pre-dates Wojnarowski at the company. It wouldn’t be shocking if he’s the one who the company relies on for most of its scoops following Woj’s retirement. That’s essentially how it was before, even if it wasn’t at the breakneck pace that things are now.
Anthony Davis had just one shot attempt in Team USA’s Thursday win over Serbia, but he gave two of his teammates shout-outs afterward.
For much of Thursday’s semifinal game against Serbia, Team USA men’s basketball looked to be in lots of trouble. It fell behind by as many as 17 points and trailed by 13 going into the fourth quarter, and the concerns critics had about the squad coming into the Olympics seemed to be manifesting.
But the team turned it on in a big way and rallied for a 95-91 win. It will now play France for the gold medal on Saturday.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis had a quiet outing with four points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in just 10 minutes. But he didn’t exactly complain about his lack of playing time or the fact that he had just one shot attempt.
Instead, he praised Joel Embiid and Stephen Curry for carrying the United States’ scoring load en route to victory.
Anthony Davis: “Got two words. Stephen Curry. Joel Embiid.”
Embiid, who has often played poorly in the Olympics this summer, had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Curry, meanwhile, had one of the more remarkable performances in men’s Olympic basketball history with 36 points on 12-of-19 field-goal shooting and 9-of-14 from 3-point range, as well as eight rebounds.
Davis’ fellow Lakers superstar LeBron James was also instrumental in the win. The 39-year-old had a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Davis has admitted he has embraced an unselfish attitude during the Summer Games by focusing mainly on defense and rebounding. The selflessness the entire team has shown could very well result in its fifth straight Olympic gold medal this weekend.
When Joel Embiid opted to play for USA Basketball over France and Cameroon, it was seen as a potentially game-changing boost for the U.S. men’s basketball team. This was a squad that was already heavily favored to win gold and adding another MVP to the loaded roster couldn’t hurt.
Embiid, though, has struggled adapting to the FIBA game, and on Wednesday, he did not appear in the USABMNT’s win over South Sudan. But despite the DNP, Embiid didn’t seem bothered by the decreased role.
As the U.S. pulled ahead between South Sudan’s runs, the NBC broadcast noted that Embiid looked to be in great spirits on the bench. He was rooting on teammates, celebrating big plays and smiling throughout the game.
"Joel Embiid, despite not playing a minute, he's been actively involved on the bench, he's been laughing with his teammates, he's been up on his feet cheering, he's handled this in a very impressive matter."
This made it look like that Embiid was probably aware of the Steve Kerr’s plan ahead of time. Embiid started the Olympic opener against Serbia, but only scored four points in 11 minutes. Jayson Tatum — who had a DNP, coach’s decision, in the first game — started on Wednesday and played 17 minutes.
Embiid will start in Friday’s game against Puerto Rico.
Steve Kerr said he Joel Embiid received DNP-CD against South Sudan because USA wanted to better match up with their team speed. – Kerr will start LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Embiid versus Puerto Rico on Friday.
