Sixers Roundtable: After horrid start to 2024-25 season, is it finally time to panic in Philly?

The 76ers’ 3-14 start to the 2024-25 season does not quite meet the standard set this summer when the franchise signed Paul George and paired him with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. With their own Big Three in tow, the Sixers were supposed to finally make good on postseason expectations and advance beyond the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

» READ MORE: Paul George aims to return within the week after a ‘super frustrating’ situation from a bone bruise in his knee

The reality in Philly is far more bleak. George, Embiid, and Maxey have all missed significant parts of the season, and George and Embiid are expected to miss more. The three stars have played together only once. In turn, role players have been thrust into unfamiliar roles and rookie Jared McCain has become this year’s most consistent scorer.

With all of this in mind, The Inquirer asked its writers whether it was time to panic. Take a look at how they responded.

To be transparent, this question was initially posed to us last week and I was resistant to even consider it, because I first wanted to see their full star trio of Embiid, George, and Maxey play together at least a handful of games. And then they could not even finish one full outing together, before George and Embiid were sidelined again.

So now I lean yes, even though I still think it’s a tad unfair to fully judge anybody on this roster. Because of those star injuries, no Sixer has yet stepped into the role that they were brought here to play.

Still, the complementary additions, such as Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Caleb Martin (at least offensively), have been disappointing. McCain has been an incredible bright spot, but the only bright spot. And a coaching staff lauded for creativity deserves a share of the blame for not being able to cobble something together that works more consistently.

It’s not time to panic because the Sixers’ Big Three — Embiid, George, and Maxey — have played only 6 minutes, 9 seconds together as a group.

The team was built around the trio. So we’ll have to see how the three All-Stars play together over a period of time. If they play a larger sample size together and still can’t win, then it will be time to panic.

Sure, the 3-14 Sixers should panic, but it goes much further than that. They have more than $500 million in guaranteed money committed to two 30-something players who have chronic injury issues. Embiid and George are virtually untradeable.

The 76ers’ 3-14 start to the 2024-25 season does not quite meet the standard set this summer when the franchise signed Paul George and paired him with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. With their own Big Three in tow, the Sixers were supposed to finally make good on postseason expectations and advance beyond the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

» READ MORE: A week after Sixers’ postgame team meeting, little has changed

The reality in Philly is far more bleak. George, Embiid, and Maxey have all missed significant parts of the season, and George and Embiid are expected to miss more. The three stars have played together only once. In turn, role players have been thrust into unfamiliar roles and rookie Jared McCain has become this year’s most consistent scorer.

With all of this in mind, The Inquirer asked its writers whether it was time to panic. Take a look at how they responded.

This question was initially posed to us last week, and I was resistant to even consider it, because I first wanted to see their full star trio of Embiid, George, and Maxey play together at least a handful of games. And then they could not even finish one full outing together, before George and Embiid were sidelined again.

So now I lean yes, even though I still think it’s a tad unfair to fully judge anybody on this roster. Because of those star injuries, no Sixer has yet stepped into the role that they were brought here to play. Still, the complementary additions, such as Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Caleb Martin (at least offensively) have been disappointing. McCain has been an incredible bright spot, but the only bright spot. And a coaching staff lauded for creativity deserves a share of the blame for not being able to cobble something together that works more consistently.

» READ MORE: Why Sixers guard Jared McCain should be the front-runner for NBA Rookie of the Year

The only silver lining is that, because the Sixers are in the Eastern Conference, finishing 10ish games below .500 could still be enough to sneak into the play-in tournament. But because they are already more than 10 games below .500, that would require them to go 33-32 the rest of the way. At this moment, they have provided zero evidence that they are capable of that, both in terms of health and the on-court product.

Hence, it’s only Thanksgiving, and it’s already worth asking if the Sixers are simply going to run out of time to find the necessary cohesion – and to rack up enough wins – to salvage a season that began with sky-high expectations.

So does that elicit panic, or resigned realization? You decide.

It’s not time to panic because the Sixers Big Three — Embiid, George, and Maxey — have only played 6 minutes, 9 seconds together as a group. The team was built around the trio. So we’ll have to see how the three All-Stars play together over a period of time. If they play a larger sample size together and still can’t win, then it will be time to panic. But if the team or its fans were to panic after Wednesday’s loss, they would be justified. The Sixers own the NBA’s second-worst record of 3-14. Franchise player Embiid has only played four games. He missed 10 games with left knee injury management and served a three-game suspension. And in the games that he has played, the 2023 MVP has been a shell of himself. The Sixers need him to play at an MVP-caliber level to go far this season. But at this point, it will be surprising if he’s able to do that.

Sure, the 3-14 Sixers should panic, but it goes much further than that. They have more than $500 million in guaranteed money committed to two 30-something players who have chronic injury issues. Embiid and George are virtually untradeable.

Given recent setbacks with Embiid’s knee, they’re looking at a near future in which Embiid misses most of the regular season, which imperils their hopes for qualifying for the playoffs. If they qualify, winning a title is an entirely different sort of grind. Expecting Embiid to play in almost 30 games in less than two months seems unrealistic.

Expecting Maxey, McCain, and a post-peak George to carry a team past the first round seems just as unlikely.