Sixers Roundtable: Five burning questions after a quarter of the 2022-23 season

The 76ers are 12-12 with a long list of questions to answer and issues to address. As their 2022-23 season currently stands, they need to get their two stars, Joel Embiid and James Harden, on the same page, they need to get healthier and they need Doc Rivers to pull the right strings at the right moment.

With a quarter of the season behind us and a critical seven-game homestand on the horizon, Inquirer beat writers Gina Mizell and Keith Pompey take on five burning questions.

Mizell: James Harden. There is warranted criticism about how Harden can slip into his ball-dominant ways, but he is still an elite playmaker who entered Friday ranked second in the NBA with 9.7 assists per game. The onus to keep the ball moving, however, is on every player. Facilitating from the post has been a priority for Joel Embiid the past two seasons. Tyrese Maxey will continue to work on his drive-and-kick game when he returns from injury. The Sixers don’t play at a fast pace, but that movement is how they create efficient shots.

Pompey: James Harden has to be the Sixers’ primary ball handler. Even though he’s not a pure point guard, he’s the closest to one on the roster. Harden has solid floor vision and is an underrated passer. It’s hard to forget his season-high 17 assists along with 23 points and seven rebounds in a road victory over the Washington Wizards on Oct. 31. It was the 14th regular-season game of his career with 16 or more.

Mizell: James Harden, because of the length of time he was out and how that prevented him and Embiid from using the early season to continue establishing timing and chemistry. He is still the newest piece of this Sixers puzzle.

Pompey: I’m going to have to say Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers have lost three straight and five of nine games since he’s been sidelined. Even that’s misleading, because two of those victories came against the Orlando Magic, the league’s worst team.

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As good as Embiid and Harden are, the Sixers appear better when one plays and the other doesn’t. Meanwhile, Maxey’s speed and ability to get to the basket were missed during the team’s three straight road losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies and Rockets. And the Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves also took advantage of his absence in victories over the Sixers.

As dominant as Embiid is, the Sixers are 5-3 without him. They’re also 8-6 without Harden. Let’s not get it twisted, the Sixers won’t go far in the postseason without Embiid. But Maxey’s injury has hurt them the most in the regular season.

Mizell: Probably not as hot as one extremely vocal segment of the fan base wishes. Barring a shocking development, it’s difficult to envision any coaching change while the Sixers are dealing with injuries to their best players. And even when Maxey returns, there is generally a grace period to regain rhythm and cohesion.

Perhaps this approach is ultimately delaying the inevitable, but it feels most likely a change would occur if the Sixers lose again in the playoffs’ second round (or worse). That feels incredibly plausible at the moment, given the Boston Celtics’ and Milwaukee Bucks’ statuses as the two best teams, not just in the Eastern Conference, but in the entire NBA.

Pompey: You have to say that it cooled off some with his three leading scorers, Embiid, Harden and Maxey, all missing time because of injuries. It is also hard to fully evaluate a coach when his normal starting lineup has only played in six of 24 games. Even though Maxey is still out, things could get hotter if the Sixers not only continue to struggle, but lack effort, during their upcoming seven-game homestand. While the roster construction is not Rivers’ doing, the Sixers are not going to get rid of Embiid, Harden or any of their new key acquisitions. So I wouldn’t rule out Rivers becoming the fall guy if ownership is willing to eat the money that remains on his contract. The coach is in the third season of a lucrative five-year deal.

Mizell: Lack of time together is still a reasonable explanation, given the way Harden was fast-tracked following the trade deadline and the health issues for both players. Rivers said during training camp that Harden needs to find the balance between when to look for Embiid and when to attack with the ball when both players draw a mismatch in the pick and roll. In the past, Harden would happily take a bigger defender off the dribble when the opposing team switched. Now, that likely means a smaller player is guarding Embiid, the clear No. 1 option. There is no substitution for reps, and the Sixers need more of them together.

Pompey: Right now, it appears they just don’t fit together. Both are ball-dominant players who like to occupy the same area on the court. That’s not to say the marriage can’t improve. Embiid and Harden just need to play more games together to build chemistry. So far, they’ve only played together for seven games so it’s hard to bond with limited in-game reps. But the biggest thing is they’ll both have to sacrifice some individual goals in order for this pairing to work.

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Mizell: Matisse Thybulle. His recent limited action is partially due to his an ankle injury. But his defensive playmaking typically overshadows his offensive deficiencies, especially during the regular season. Thybulle could help himself by getting back to the way he played when Harden first arrived last season, when he got free under the basket by cutting and rolling.

Pompey: Matisse Thybulle deserves more minutes. It’s kind of mind blowing that one of the league’s elite defenders, once again, can’t get more minutes while opponents are torching his teammates. His play has been a major reason why the Sixers are fourth in the league in defensive rating.

However, Thybulle averaged 12.8 minutes in the past three games and the defense has suffered. The transition defense has been awful, with the squad largely incapable of getting back and forming a wall. The Sixers’ halfcourt defense has also allowed too much dribble penetration. He needs to play more minutes moving forward.