Feb 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) drives for a shot against Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Sixers got absolutely bulldozed by the lowly Chicago Bulls to push themselves further away from the Play-In tournament. The tank may be rolling!
Here's what I saw.
- Kudos to Paul George, who could've been tempted to check out after the latest Joel Embiid injury news. He looked as good on both ends of the floor as he has at any point during this finger injury. Aggressive drives, resistant to contact and attempts to dig in on him in the paint. He pushed his way to the hoop for some difficult finishes and found the target on a couple of jumpers.
His effort on defense was especially admirable, even more so in the context of the garbage that the rest of the team was serving on that end of the floor. He was aggressive on the ball, attentive off the ball and tapped into his athleticism to meet a Bulls driver at the rim. He did not play as if the finger was somewhere in the back of his mind.
- If you felt yourself wondering, "Is that another wide open three for Kevin Huerter?", yes. He was the latest in a recent trend of shooters to get practice shots on the perimeter, Philadelphia completely abandoning the weak side of the floor and forgetting about a credible shooter in that space. Even when the Bulls gave Huerter on-ball opportunities, the Sixers managed to allow him the space to fire away. They botched coverages in the pick-and-roll, failing to step to the ball and affording gaps for Huerter to rise into deep threes.
- It is increasingly difficult to understand what this team's vision is for the immediate future. On one hand, you say you are trying to win. You say Embiid is not yet ruled out for the rest of the season. You continue to let George play through this finger injury. Tyrese Maxey, listed 'questionable' until the last hour before the game, went out there with a sprained finger. Yet, you do things that suggest you don't actually want to win.
Exhibit A, B and C is continuing to play Andre Drummond and thinking the outcome is going to change. I'll give Drummond this - he did a fine job rebounding the basketball in his minutes. So, at least the Sixers can say he did what he gets paid to do. However, Chicago's task was extremely simple every time he was on the floor. One-four or one-five pick-and-roll, attack Drummond in coverage. He is what he is at this point. Is it more worth it to blame a guy who just isn't effective any more or to criticize a coach who appears to struggle with the definition of 'insanity'. He has no chance of beating any driver to the rim out of pick-and-rolls. It was an automatic two points every time. It's not like Chicago ran anything impressive or had the personnel to really overwhelm the things that Drummond is capable of. They just went right at his weaknesses, and Nick Nurse and company let it happen.
So, either you are not aware of the fact that Drummond is not helping you win games or you are aware that he is actively damaging when he is on the court, and that helps you inch closer to keeping that lottery pick.
Pretty damning either way, but for different reasons. If it's the former, the person who leads this ship needs a firmer grasp on reality. If it's the latter, then what are we really doing here? Why not just rip the band aid off with Embiid? Why not try to protect your investment in George and get him away from this mess? Why keep subjecting Maxey to this? There is no more "things aren't going our way - yet". There is zero resume from this season to suggest that this team can come close to winning one single playoff game. Even if by some miracle Embiid were to come back and recover to his healthy self, he couldn't save this horrid defense on his own.
So, what is the intention here?
- Gang, it's time to scout for the draft. Get excited!
The Sixers (20-37) will visit the New York Knicks (37-20) on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on ESPN and NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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