Sixers officially eliminated from playoffs, what now?
Nov 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers Paul George (R) and Joel Embiid (L) look on during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
When Daryl Morey signed Paul George in the early hours of July 6th, 2024, it looked as if the Sixers had a superteam in store for the league. It seemed like it was inevitable that the East would be a dog fight between Boston, New York, Cleveland, and Philly.
This was not the case.
The Sixers started the season 1-7, but with Joel Embiid and George yet to play significant minutes together at that point, the fans didn’t lose hope.
Unfortunately for those fans, Philadelphia never was able to recover from its rocky start. Despite Embiid and George eventually playing more minutes together, nothing was enough. Philly never was able to crawl above .500 all season, and their playoff hopes ended after a 23-point loss to the Miami Heat, which dropped Philadelphia’s record to 23-52.
This team hasn’t been this bad since the 2016-2017 season, where the Brett Brown led Sixers, who were in the final year of the process, went 28-54.
The worst part of how bad this team has been is that they had championship aspirations. This team had the potential to be dangerous in the playoffs and make a run. Even when times were dire, Morey assured the Philadelphia faithful that they still had championship potential. George even put down the mic for his podcast to “focus on winning a championship.”
Now, instead of switching focus to the playoffs, Philadelphia is looking towards the draft, where a deep freshman class looks to make an impact in the NBA. The Sixers will be paying close attention to multiple prospects who could change this team for the better, because right now, it looks like it can’t get any worse.
Philadelphia has embarrassed its fan base and is losing its faith. If they can’t make something big happen in this offseason, it’s safe to say the days of successful Philadelphia basketball are behind us for good.
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Evan Hartenstein
Evan has been a member of the Philly Sports Reports team since March 2023. He is covering the 76ers and wants to pursue a long-lasting career in Sports Journalism.
