Fresh off the NBA trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in Detroit looking to pick up a win against the shorthanded Pistons. For once, the Sixers were not the hobbled team, missing only — I say only in number, of course — Guerschon Yabusele and Jared McCain.
You’d be hard-pressed to guess the shorthanded team just by the box score, as Philadelphia was completely boat-raced in the first half, and a semi-competitive second half was not enough to save them from a double-digit loss.
What worked for the Sixers
Very little.
Initially, the entire team looked lazy, lethargic, and listless. But we’ll get to that later.
It was not a good evening for anyone, save for, perhaps, one of the Sixers’ newest additions, Quentin Grimes. Grimes looked energized and impressively efficient from start to finish, although he was clearly still trying to work himself into the confines of the offensive and defensive scheme. Scoring 14 points off the bench with several defensive highlights, the Sixers got all they could ask for and more out of a debut from Grimes.
As the evening continued, and more and more players remembered they were in the middle of an NBA game, some players began to look more and more like themselves. Players like Tyrese Maxey, a shocking offender among all those who came out flat, Maxey did rebound through the game into a more even performance compared to what fans are accustomed to.
Maxey finished short of his 28-point and 30-point streaks but did score 27 points, seven assists, and shot fairly efficiently, but the eye test tells the story of how the performance was solid but unremarkable.
What didn’t
Heart. Guts. Effort.
These are three things noticeably absent from many on the court during the first half of this game, but perhaps none more so than Joel Embiid.
There was so much excitement as this was just the 11th time Philadelphia’s Big 3 would take the court together. All of that went away seemingly in an instant as all three looked completely disinterested in beginning the game.
The disinterest bled through the team. Kelly Oubre, Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, and even Justin Edwards had the occasional lapse, all originating from the Sixers’ stars’ inability to set the tone.
After a poorly played transition defense led to a Detroit bucket, Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre exchanged words quite vigorously, stemming from Embiid’s dissatisfaction with Oubre’s hustle on the play. Considering what Oubre has meant to the Sixers throughout all the time that Joel Embiid has missed this season, compounded by the consistent lack of drive with which Embiid has approached the game throughout Oubre’s short Sixers tenure, it was understandably not received well.
Tyrese Maxey played peacemaker, and eventually, it was all smiles and hugs. While these types of flare-ups are not necessarily negative, there has to be some semblance of self-awareness.
That’s it for now, though. Through the game in the bin, and don’t ever let it happen again.
What’s next
The Sixers will next travel to Milwaukee for an afternoon matchup against Kyle Kuzma‘s Bucks, leaving plenty of time before the Eagles take on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., and you can catch the game on ABC or, as always, listen live at 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.
