Both on and off the court, the Philadelphia 76ers are in major need of a win. It was a challenging weekend for the Sixers that was highlighted—or lowlighted—by a clash between star Joel Embiid and a local columnist.
The team currently sits with a record of 1-4 and is set to begin a difficult Western Conference swing where they will face the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. Ahead of that difficult three-game run, the Sixers did receive some positive news, and not a moment too soon.
As the team travels out West, they are joined by their two recovering stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George. Not only will Embiid and George be present, but ahead of the first game of their road trip, George is reportedly set to make his regular-season debut, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
After the team released an injury report that listed George as questionable, Charania’s report effectively upgraded him, short of confirming that he would rejoin the lineup. Should all go according to plan, Philadelphia could look like a completely different team against Phoenix, even just by adding one player.
Without both George and Embiid, the Sixers have been without two of their top three best players when it comes to shot creation and scoring. Having George back in the fold will only make matters easier for Tyrese Maxey, as it will both open up the floor and give Maxey a strong weapon to utilize when kicking the ball out on drives.
George has a far quicker trigger than most, if not all, of his teammates. Singling out Caleb Martin, as he has primarily filled the off-ball role complementary to Maxey that George will take over, there is clear room for improvement. As solid of an addition as Caleb Martin has been I totality, his situational decision-making as a deep shooter has not been as quick and certain as that role needs.
Maxey spoke about the team’s hesitation after the Sixers’ loss to the Detroit Pistons.
“[There were] a couple plays where I got downhill and tried to skip it and tried to create second side action,” Maxey said. “We [have] to shoot some of those. Coach showed a couple clips today of me and somebody else get into the paint, collapsing defense, kicking it out, and we got to shoot them, no matter who it is.”
Maxey then used Martin as an example of this lack of decisiveness, something he feels everyone can overcome.
“I tell Caleb all the time, ‘l want you to shoot as many open threes as you can.’ [At the] beginning of the game, I drove in, kicked it to him, he shot, he missed it, I got it back, drove it again, kicked right back to him, [and told] him to shoot it because that’s the only way that it’s gonna open up all of us.”
From Martin to McCain to KJ Martin, the entire offense must be quicker to commit to the three, but Paul George has that willingness built into him. While there will surely be some rust, assuming George does make his debut tonight, the Sixers should look far more competitive.
One not-so-small additional note: while Joel Embiid will not suit up tonight, he has joined the team on the road trip, according to the Philadelphia Inquier’s Keith Pompey.
Embiid still has to be cleared to return by the team, and the results of the NBA’s investigation into his locker room incident will likely have to be decided. Still, it certainly seems possible he, too, could make his debut on this trip.
