The Philadelphia 76ers rough start to the season continues.
On Monday night, the 76ers fell to the Miami Heat 106-89, going 2-11 for the season. Although both Joel Embiid and Paul George were in the lineup for the 76ers, Tyrese Maxey is still out with a hamstring injury, although is expected back in the lineup soon. The trio has yet to play a game together this season.
The 76ers took a 20-point lead in the 2nd quarter, mostly thanks to standout rookie Jared McCain (20 pts, 4 rebounds, 4 assists). Jimmy Butler, who missed the last four consecutive games for the Heat through injury, recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists with a plus/minus of +29. The Heat were up by 20 points themselves later on in the second half, and ultimately doomed the 76ers to yet another defeat for the season.
After the loss, the 76ers reportedly did not come out of the locker room for more than an hour to speak to the press, suggesting deep conversations were taking place.
According to sources at ESPN, these conversations included heart-to-hearts, taking accountability, and a call to action. One of these conversations reportedly consisted of Tyrese Maxey calling out the 2022-23 league MVP for his consistent tardiness, saying he was late ‘for everything’ and how it is beginning to impact the team ‘from the players to the coaches’.
“Tyrese loves the big fella, but this was the elephant in the room,” the source told ESPN.
Per the report, Embiid took the comment ‘well’ but also expressed his ‘confusion’ at what the team was trying to accomplish on the court during the meeting.
It was also reported that the players told coach Nick Nurse that they wanted to be coached harder, and the coaches responded by saying they wanted the players to ‘pay more attention to detail’ and ‘practice with purpose.’
