The Philadelphia 76ers’ season is off to a disastrous 2-11 start, and Tyrese Maxey called out former NBA MVP Joel Embiid following the team’s loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night, according to a report from ESPN.
Monday night’s loss to the Heat was Philadelphia’s fourth straight loss, which put them in a tie for the worst record in the NBA with the Washington Wizards.
On Tuesday, ESPN reported veteran guard Kyle Lowry called for a team meeting that included “a much-needed heart-to-heart and a call to action and urgency.”
Maxey, the 24-year-old rising star who won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award last season, challenged Embiid for being late “for everything” and how it impacts the entire organization, including the locker room, teammates and coaching staff, according to the report. Maxey and Embiid are close and have a history of holding each other accountable throughout their time together on the Sixers.
“Tyrese loves Big Fella, but this is the elephant in the room,” ESPN reported.
Embiid accepted the messages Maxey said in the meeting, according to ESPN, but also said that he’s sometimes confused about how the Sixers are trying to execute on the court. Players also told Sixers head coach Nick Nurse they would like to be coached harder, and coaches said they want players to practice “with purpose and attention to detail,” per ESPN.
Though 13 games, the Sixers rank dead-last in the league in points per game and shooting percentage.
While Embiid has only played in three games so far this season after being out with left knee management and missing an additional three games due to a suspension for an altercation with a Philadelphia columnist, he hasn’t played up to his standard in limited action. He’s averaging 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Embiid, Maxey and Paul George, the team’s big free agent acquisition, have each dealt with injuries at various points so far early in the season and have yet to all be on the court together in a game.
George, who missed time with a bone bruise to start the year, is averaging 16.7 points and shooting 28.8% on 3-pointers through seven games. He scored 18 points in Monday’s loss to Miami and shot 38.5% from the field, including 1 for 7 from deep.
Maxey has been out since Nov. 7 with a strained right hamstring, but ESPN reported he’s expected to return this week against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night or Friday against the Brooklyn Nets.
Rookie guard Jared McCain has been the Sixers’ lone bright spot so far. The Duke University product is averaging 15.2 points and shooting 40.8% on 3-pointers in 13 games, including three starts.
Despite the brutal start to the season, The Athletic reported that the jobs of Nurse and Daryl Morey, the Sixers president of basketball operations, are both safe amid the locker room drama.
