The new-look Sixers must keep working to get on same page and share the ball after busy trade deadline

The 76ers have communication and organization problems.

The team is still working to get on the same page and learn how to mesh after adding two players at the trade deadline and bringing in another from the buyout market. The Sixers also recently welcomed two others back from injury. On top of that, they are struggling to adjust to life without Joel Embiid, who remains sidelined after a meniscus tear in his left knee.

“There’s a lot of different combinations of guys,” coach Nick Nurse said, “and we’re trying to make sure when we’re doing stuff that we can figure it out and get more on the same page.

“It’s just a bit disjointed at times when it gets tough.”

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The Sixers definitely looked disjointed in Sunday’s 119-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers (33-24) were out of sync, made outlet passes to the wrong players and didn’t recognize mismatches. At times, they looked more like strangers playing pickup basketball at the YMCA.

And their evolution isn’t about to get easier.

The Sixers traveled to Boston on Monday afternoon for Tuesday night’s game against the Celtics at TD Garden. They know they’ll have to play quality team basketball to have any chance of upsetting Boston (45-12). The Sixers have become a different squad since the teams last met on Dec. 1.

Back then, Boston was in a dogfight before escaping with a 125-119 victory over the Sixers, who were without Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Nicolas Batum.

Patrick Beverley (26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals), Robert Covington (18 points, five steals), De’Anthony Melton (21 points), Marcus Morris Sr. (13 points, seven rebounds) picked up some of the slack in their absences.

But Beverley was traded to the Bucks for Cameron Payne and a second-round pick. The Sixers also acquired Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers in a three-team deal that sent Morris to the San Antonio Spurs.

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Covington hasn’t played since Dec. 30 because of a left knee bone bruise. And Melton will play in his third straight game Tuesday after missing 18 with a spine injury. Batum also rejoined the Sixers three games ago after missing nine with a strained left hamstring. Kyle Lowry is also getting back in the swing of things, playing in two of three games for the Sixers. Before that, the six-time All-Star hadn’t played since Jan. 21 as a member of the Miami Heat.

“It’s a lot of stuff going on right now,” said Batum, whose Sixers have lost 11 of their last 15 games. “So we know we’re struggling right now. But we showed some flashes when we can play great as well. We can’t give up, just got to fight and keep working like today was a great day in practice. It was a great day. We got to get to know each other. Those days are great for us, and we’re going to be OK.”

The Sixers hope Embiid will return in mid to late March and provide lift. But at the moment, they’re in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, a game ahead of both the sixth-place Heat and seventh-place Pacers. The eighth-place Magic are 1½ games back of the Sixers.

With a grueling upcoming stretch, it wouldn’t be surprising if they dropped near the bottom of the playoff picture by season’s end. That guarantees only a spot in the Play-In Tournament and a chance to compete for a berth in the playoffs — not an ideal situation for a squad that began the season with championship dreams.

“You’d certainly rather not have to play the play-in if possible,” Nurse said. “Again, we’ve got to focus in on what we’re doing. We’ve got to focus in on us and what we’re doing, and we’ve got to play really well and really hard, pick off some wins. There’s not a whole lot we can do.

“We can all root against the other teams as much as we want on the off nights — or any night, if you want — but I don’t know if that’s going to matter that much. It’s going to fall where it’s going to fall. But it’s always under your control as long as you can pick off some wins and stay in there.”

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Getting players up to speed through games, practice, and constant communication is what the Sixers can control.

On Sunday, the Sixers wanted to play a lot faster. But there were times when a player would grab a defensive rebound and three of his teammates would stay in the paint instead of getting out in transition. Players were also running on top of each other in some offensive sets.

“Again, that needs some practice and some feel,” Nurse said.

The Sixers are in the process of finding player preferences and situational awareness.

“If we get a rebound, where is the outlet going?” Nurse said. “Who’s bringing it [up]? Who’s trailing? Who’s rim running? So we worked on that today. I think that’s where we’re trying to head with this crew in particular.”

Batum is confident the Sixers can find success. He believes they can be a good offense when moving the ball.

“When we’re missing Joel, we got to find another way to score,” Batum said. “We can’t rely, like I said a couple weeks ago, on Tyrese to get 50 [points]. That won’t happen. So we got to find a way to move it.

“Of course, he’s our leader right now. He’s going to find ways to score. He’s going to do his thing. But we got to find a way like how we can involve everybody and move it. ... Find a way to move the ball, change sides and not be a one-pass-shot team.”