Nothing about this season hhas gone the way the Philadelphia 76ers had planned it. The Sixers were supposed to be among the biggest contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Instead, the Sixers’ March 29 loss to the Miami Heat eliminated the franchise from the 2025 NBA playoffs.
“Obviously, it’s not anywhere near where we had hoped it would be when we set out this summer and this fall. That’s for sure,” Nurse said during his post-game news conference. “And that’s the only thing you can say. It was a super struggle.”
The biggest issue for the Sixers has been a consistent string of injuries. Joel Embiid never got going, playing just 19 games all season. Paul George dealt with issues throughout the year. And the Sixers’ depth chart was constantly in flux as guys would be in and out of the rotation.
“You were kind of always holding out hope that the team was playing better and getting some wins and hopefully get some players back,” Nurse said.“[I] said this numerous times: it just didn’t seem like the injury bug would ever leave us. It just seemed like every time we’d have a good game and get a win or something, it’d cost us a player or two for the next one and we could never build any momentum.”
Embiid and George as two of the most important pieces in the Sixers rotation. They need to be healthy if the franchise is going to stand a chance of competing for a championship in the coming years.
The Sixers Are Built on Quick Sand
Unfortunately, both Embiid and George have long injury histories. Neither star has been able to stay healthy in recent years. Daryl Morey knew this when he traded for George, pairing him with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
The hope was clearly that at some point in George’s contract, both he and Embiid would be healthy at the same time. If you can get one fully healthy season from both of them, the Sixers could potentially secure a championship. Unfortunately, that thought process appears to be wishful thinking.
Furthermore, Morey must find a better balance with the bench unit, both in terms of health and on-court fit. The overall blend of talent has been somewhat off throughout the season.
Sixers Face Tough Decision on Guerschon Yabusele
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the Sixers face a tough decision regarding the future of Guerschon Yabusele. The impressive forward joined the Sixers after impressing at the 2024 Paris Olympics with the French national team.
“Guerschon Yabusele has been one of their few bright spots this season. He signed a one-year, veteran-minimum contract with the Sixers after his breakout run at the 2024 Olympics last summer,” Pincus wrote. “Philly probably needs to use some or all of its mid-level exception to keep him beyond this year. The good news is that Quentin Grimes, whom the Sixers acquired before the trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks, will be a restricted free agent. Philadelphia can and should match offers to retain him.”
Yabusele has undoubtedly earned a larger contract. He will likely join the team willing to give him the most long-term security. Given the amount of decision the Sixers front office have to make in the summer, Yabusele could be allowed to leave the franchise, especially if Morey is looking at making wholesale changes.
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