Even the most pessimistic Philadelphia sports fan didn’t predict this for the 76ers before the season. The team has lost nine in a row and 11-of-12, it sits 3.5 games out of even the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, and its former MVP is out with a chronic knee issue that also clouds his and the team’s future.
Where do things stand in Philadelphia, and where are they headed? These are good questions. There are no easy answers, but let’s try to break it all down.
What about this season?
That pretty much sums it up.
Philadelphia sits 12th in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games out of the final play-in spot in the East. At this point, there is no motivation for them to chase that final play-in spot (which, even if they got it, would mean needing to win two single-elimination play-in games on the road to earn the “reward” of facing a deep and talented Cleveland squad in the first round).
The Sixers owe their first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it is top-six protected. As of today, Philly has the sixth-worst record in the NBA — there’s the motivation to throw in the towel. If the NBA Draft Lottery were today, the 76ers would have a 43.4% chance of retaining their pick (which is still a 56.6% they still lose it to OKC). Philadelphia is currently 2.5 games ahead of Toronto in the East standings and the Raptors are starting to play well. If Philly falls behind Toronto (or anyone else who gets hot) and finishes with the fifth-worst record in the league, its odds of holding on to its pick jump to 63.9%.
Joel Embiid’s knee
Everything with the 76ers in the future comes back to getting Joel Embiid’s left knee healthy enough that he can play. Officially, he has had imaging and testing done, and he and the 76ers are set to meet with specialists.
Embiid has been battling swelling and pain in that left knee all season, the same one he had meniscus surgery on just more than a year ago. The core conflict is what comes next, with the 76ers suggesting surgery is unnecessary, but Embiid telling Lisa Saulters of ABC that he thinks he will need another surgery (which surprised the 76ers staff). Jake Fischer summed up the situation well over at The Stein Line.
According to those with knowledge of the situation, Embiid is still hoping for some sort of cure-all procedure that would allow him to return to his MVP form. Heading into this week, however, neither the Sixers’ own medical staff nor any of the external doctors consulted throughout this saga had been able to pinpoint a clear-cut pathway to steering Embiid in his desired direction.
This sounds like a chronic condition that will need maintenance, and Embiid is not happy about that outcome. There have been some radical suggestions by doctors — meniscus removal, even a suggestion of breaking and resetting the hip to change the angle and pressure on the knee — according to Marcus Hayes at the Philadelphia Inquirer, but those are long-shots at best.
Right now, the sides are trying to agree on a path forward, and a decision is expected before the end of the week. It would be shocking if that path included Embiid stepping on an NBA court again this season.
Considering this could be the end of the “Embiid leading a title contender” era in Philly (such as it was), some have suggested the 76ers try to trade him. Good luck with that. In September, Embiid signed a three-year, $192.9 million contract extension with Philadelphia, which kicks in next season and is fully guaranteed. That is as untradable a contract as there is in the NBA right now.
Paul George shuts down podcast
Monday, the latest episode of Paul George’s Podcast P dropped, with Dwight Howard as the guest. During it, George told listeners he was shutting down his podcast for a while.
Paul George announces that he will be load managing his ‘Podcast P’ episodes for the time being to help the 76ers make a championship push, via @PodcastPShow.
“I want to let the Podcast P family know that after today’s episode with Dwight I plan to take a break from the pod just… pic.twitter.com/XOqsrn99ql
— APHoops (@APH00PS) February 26, 2025
Deciding now is the time to do this when the team is 20-38 is interesting timing, but you can’t blame the guy. It might be a sign that the Sixers will also shut him down for the season for health reasons.
Don’t be shocked if his podcast returns this summer.
Eric Gordon has wrist surgery
Thursday, the 76ers confirmed what had already been reported: Guard Eric Gordon has undergone wrist surgery and is out for the season.
Eric Gordon underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right wrist yesterday.
He will be re-evaluated in approximately three months and updates on his status will be provided as appropriate.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 27, 2025
Consider it the latest sign the 76ers are throwing in the towel on the season.
