Tag: Philadelphia 76ers

Paul George’s complaints about the Lakers doubling him showcases the heart of the 76ers’ problems

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 76ers might have a Joel Embiid problem that needs solving

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.

After losing to the Miami Heat on Monday, the 76ers players held a team meeting after the game, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

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.

CAPTURE THE FLAGG: The 76ers are right in the thick of things if they’re tanking for Cooper Flagg.

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.

Former Duke basketball star Jared McCain scores 34 points in first NBA double-double

Jared McCain dropped 34 points on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, his third straight NBA game with at least 20.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag], the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round pick earlier this year, continues to look better and better for his professional team.

McCain scored 34 points on Wednesday night, making 12 of his 26 shots from the floor and six of his 13 3-point attempts during a 114-106 loss to the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers.

The production extends a streak of three straight games with at least 20 for McCain. He set his previous career high with 27 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday before tacking on 23 points against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

McCain has connected on 42.5% of his looks from behind the 3-point line over his last four contests, something Duke fans knew he could do, but he added a new wrinkle against the Cavaliers with 10 assists for the first double-double of his NBA career.

On a Philadelphia roster with All-Star starters like Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, McCain wasn’t expected to play a large role in year one. However, with all three members of that trio dealing with injuries, the former Blue Devil is averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.1 rebounds.

NBA MVP visits USC as Eric Musselman focuses on improving team culture

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.

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Joel Embiid’s altercation with a columnist was the writer’s words coming home to roost

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.

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.

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.

Former Duke basketball star Jared McCain scores career-high 19 points in NBA game

Former Duke basketball star Jared McCain flashed some familiar form on Saturday night with the best NBA game yet.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] might only be five games into his rookie NBA season, but he looked right at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round draft pick scored 19 points, seven more than his previous career high, in just 17 minutes after making two 3-pointers. McCain shot 8/16 (50.0%) from the floor and snagged four rebounds despite Philadelphia’s 124-107 loss.

The early emergence shouldn’t surprise Duke fans who kept up with McCain this offseason. The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported in October that the rookie was earning attention in training camp thanks to his performance, and with Philadelphia down several star players early on, he’s getting an early chance to prove himself.

After Saturday’s game and his 12-point performance against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, McCain is averaging 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists through his first five regular-season games. He’s shooting 45.5% from the floor and 20.0% from beyond the arc.

McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 41.4% from 3-point range as a freshman with the Blue Devils, scoring at least 30 points in two of his four NCAA Tournament games.

76ers coach Nick Nurse is already sick of questions about Joel Embiid’s and Paul George’s health

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?

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.

Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: Oct. 22-27

Basketball season is underway.

(This story was updated to change a photo.)

The 2024-25 NBA season has gotten underway, which means it’s time to watch Notre Dame’s two representatives. Neither player has exactly had a glowing start though.

[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] began his 10th NBA season by scoring nine points and grabbing four rebounds in the Milwaukee Bucks’ Oct. 23 season opening-win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He followed that up by shooting a combined 2 of 10 from the field in losses to the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets. He’s averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game in this young season.

[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] now is in his third season with the San Antonio Spurs. He tipped off his campaign with six points and two assists while losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Oct. 24 season opener. He had a single field goal and two more assists in six minutes during an Oct. 26 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Wesley is averaging a mere 4.0 points and 0.5 rebounds a game over two contests, but he has the Spurs’ second-highest plus/minus through two games. Granted, that came entirely during the Mavericks game, but still:

Here’s to decent seasons from both Connaughton and Wesley.

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Jared McCain signs endorsement deal with Jordan Brand

Former Duke basketball star Jared McCain was one of four NBA rookies announced as Jordan Brand athletes on Saturday.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag], the former Duke basketball player taken in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft, announced his partnership with the Jordan Brand on Saturday.

Jordan, one of the most famous shoe companies in sports, revealed its rookie class of endorsement deals to start the weekend. McCain, now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, joined Dalton Knecht, Stephon Castle, and Ja’Kobe Walter among the first-year players who signed with the brand.

McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in his only year as a Blue Devil, but made his biggest impact as a 3-point weapon and an explosive scorer. He made 41.4% of his attempts from long range and scored at least 30 points in three different games, including twice in the NCAA Tournament.

He dropped 30 on James Madison in the second round before tying a school postseason record with 32 points against NC State in the Elite Eight. He made 16 of his 32 triples over the four-game tournament run.

Philadelphia took McCain with the 16th overall pick in June.

McCain played eight total minutes in his first two regular-season games with the 76ers, scoring four points and pulling down two rebounds in his debut against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

He averaged 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in five preseason games, and he reportedly caught the Philadelphia coaching staff’s attention during offseason work.

When will Joel Embiid and Paul George return from their injuries? Here’s what we know.

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.

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