The Philadelphia 76ers are currently heading in an uncertain direction.
Holding championship aspirations, the 76ers couldn’t catch a break as strings of injuries have disturbed their capabilities to compete this season. With the constant inactivities of Joel Embiid and Paul George as well as the brutal indefinite recovery timeline of rising rookie Jared McCain, Philly faces doubts and dilemmas about how they should continue the year with an 8-16 record that places them at the 12th spot of the East.
With the current circumstances, Gilbert Arenas offered a bold suggestion about how the Sixers should perceive 2024-25 moving forward.
The 76ers amassed tons of expectations after their past groundbreaking summer. As they secured the free agency service of Paul George in a reported four-year, $212 max deal, Philadelphia has been loftily assumed to be in the mix amongst legitimate title contenders.
But health-wise, things aren’t going according to plan for Philly. Embiid has been severely inactive due to his knee issues and now with face injury, limiting him to just seven game appearances thus far this year. George, meanwhile, has dealt with a left knee bone bruise which affected his scoring averages of 17.1 points in 43.7 percent shooting across 14 games.
In the recent segment of Gil’s Arena, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas demanded the 76ers to deactivate both Embiid and George and redirect their championship focus to next season.
“The problem is this. A couple of weeks ago, where you are now, what your plans are for Embiid and Paul George, lets the world know that you’re not championship-ready. … You should have cut the cord f—–g weeks ago,” Arenas exclaimed. “Embiid, cut – You’re not playing anymore. Paul George, we’ll see. If not, get healthy.
They’re not going to help you win a championship this year, so if they can’t help you win a championship, shut them down. F— whatever their ego tells them. If their ego says I want to win, I don’t give a f— where at you, I just paid you money. I need to protect it. Sit your a— down, [Embiid and George].
By shelving Embiid and George, Arenas desires the 76ers to allocate the rest of their season to allowing their young guns to take it over. As the superstar duo could take their time to rest and fully recover for next year, Arenas noted that it would be beneficial for young players such as Tyrese Maxey to continue their development.
“This is your team. Show me what you have because in the summer, I need to make a decision if you’re going to be here or not,” Arenas added. “I need to let [Tyrese] Maxey, [Jared] McCain, and [Kenyon Jr.] Martin to play 40 something minutes. … You two [Embiid and George] I don’t give a f— what y’all talking about, chill out.
“I don’t need you being older playing, getting hurt, tweaking ankles, then coming back and forth, and I might not have you again for next year. So, sit down and get healthy.”
Even though they are approaching the first half of the season, it’s still considerably tough for the 76ers to decide if they can still keep their foot on the gas pedal. As it is, there still might be chances for them to deliver a dramatic in-season turnaround and replicate what the Milwaukee Bucks have tremendously pulled.
But by factoring in the health of their two main stars, it would also be justifiable for them to just shift their commitment and provide Embiid and George more room to be fully ready for next year.
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