This is not the start Philadelphia envisioned when constructing this year’s team. Joel Embiid has been sitting out games, dealing with knee issues, and has been suspended for allegedly shoving a reporter. Paul George already has missed a handful of games and was greeted by a chorus of boos during Philadelphia’s loss to the Clipper in LA on Wednesday evening. The team is 1-6 through seven games — sitting last in the Eastern Conference.
To make matters worse, the team’s best young player, Tyrese Maxey, is now slated to miss a large chunk of time due to injury.
Maxey injured his hamstring in the loss to the Clippers. According to ESPN, the star guard is slated to miss at least a couple of weeks due to the injury on his right leg. This is not good news for the 76ers, as Maxey’s been the best player for the team thus far.
On the year, he’s averaging 27.6 PPG. He’s also leading the league in minutes played, averaging close to 40 MPG. This injury puts a ton of pressure on the 76ers — namely Embiid/George. Very few teams historically speaking have been able to dig themselves out of the hole Philadelphia finds itself in record-wise.
With Maxey sidelined, the 76ers figure to use a host of players to fill the void. Chief among them include the aging trio of Reggie Jackson, Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry, unproven Ricky Council IV, and rookie Jared McCain.
