What Now?
The process... can we really trust it? Season after season, we’ve been plagued with a recurring theme of second-round exits. After anticipation in each pre-season when envisioning this team as ‘the one,’ there has always been a disappointment.
Throughout the process, there have been 4 defining eras:
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Though Embiid, Simmons, and Roco led the Sixers to an impressive 52-30 record, the #1 pick Fultz playing only 14 games was a big headline. Embiid and Simmons were what fans thought was the start of something special.
Playoff Lose: 4-1 to the Boston Celtics in the 2nd round. -
This season was very odd in that the Sixers traded for Jimmy and Tobias mid-season. Regardless of this incredible lineup of Embiid, Simmons, Butler, Tobias, and Redick, they lost to a game 7 Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater. What followed were a series of perplexing decisions, as they signed Tobias over Jimmy and recruited the big man Al Horford.
Playoff Lose: 4-3 to the Toronto Raptors in the 2nd round. -
Tensions between Ben Simmons and his teammates, fans, and coaches grew over these next 2 seasons. His reluctance to shoot in the 2021 playoffs was heavily criticized by the basketball world. Players such as Matisse Thybulle, Al Horford, Danny Green, Seth Curry, and Josh Richardson would come and go during this time.
Playoff Lose:
2019-2020: 4-0 to the Boston Celtics in the 1st round.
2020-2021: 4-3 to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2nd round. -
A blockbuster trade after Simmons refused to play sent Ben to the Nets and James Harden to the Sixers. In addition to Maxey’s rise, perhaps a HOF and all-time great scorer in Harden could end their shortcomings?
Playoff Lose:
2021-2022: 4-2 to the Miami Heat in the 2nd round.
2022-2023: 4-3 to the Boston Celtics in the 2nd round.
Amidst the various teams employed by Philly, one player has stuck through it all: Joel Embiid, a 7-foot powerful but crafty big who dominates on the offensive and defensive end. Joel has been the focal point season after season on the team, but is it time to dismiss the idea of scapegoats and hold him fully accountable?
1. A Pattern of Injuries
Injuries are very unfortunate and often not controllable, thus it is tough to judge a player based on this criteria. Joel Embiid however has had a fair share of injuries thus it could be reasonable to have wavering confidence in him. A concerning trend regarding his reliability and availability has emerged despite playing through a lot of injuries. His toughness doesn’t mask the fact that it gets hard to win with a hobbled franchise player. Glossing over his regular season injuries, the following encompasses his post-season misshapes:
2018: Orbital Fracture and Concussion
2019: Knee Tendinitis
2021: Torn Meniscus
2022: Torn Thumb Ligament, Orbital Fracture, and Concussion
2023: Knee Sprain
It gets hard to win with a track record such as this, regardless of how many times Philly decides to revamp their team.
2. Pushing Blame
On two separate occasions, Joel Embiid has opted to throw his teammates under the bus: 2020-2021 Atlanta Hawks game 7, and 2022-2023 Boston Celtics game 7. Frustration is normal at a time like this, but it can be detrimental to the team’s culture and trust between teammates when blatantly talking to the media about it.
“I’ll be honest. I thought the turning point was when we - I don’t know how to say it - is when we had an open shot and made one free throw.”
In context, what Joel said here wasn’t horrible as it had shades of truth. His remarks made after this year’s postseason run however is not quite how a ‘leader’ is supposed to act towards the media.
“... Me and James [Harden], we just can’t win alone”
This remark was made after Joel dropped 15 points on 5/18 shooting with 4 turnovers. He needs to hold himself accountable in moments such as these instead of turning the other way.
3. Shrinking in Elimination Games
Rewind back to 2020-2021 where Ben deservingly got heavily criticized for refusing to shoot in the 4th quarter. However, this often overshadows Joel’s 16 turnovers in elimination games 6 and 7, including one at the 46-second mark in a game 7 elimination. This may not be surprising to hear when over the course of his postseason career, he has had more turnovers than assists. With an average of 4.6 turnovers and 2 assists per game, the turnover-to-assist ratio raises concern.
Joel Embiid's Career Field Goal %
The 11.3% field-goal dropoff in Joel Embiid’s performance from regular season to clutch time moments is undeniably critical. In addition, his body language at times appears disengaged, which can have a contagious and detrimental effect especially when he is the franchise player.
Joel Embiid paradoxically has been a great reason for the teams success, and may just be a reason for their inability to get out of the second-round. Perhaps death, taxes, and a second-round exit are inevitable during this process era. Going forward, it’s hard to tell if they’ll attempt to run it back or revamp again.
Hence, the anticipated question still persists: What now?
