Game 1: Friday, Dec. 13th, 2024
Charlotte Hornets at Philadelphia 76ers
Final Score: IND 121 – PHI 107
There was just one Sixers game this week due to the NBA Cup, and it ended up as an unmitigated disaster. This one especially hurts as the 76ers seemed like they might have been getting back on track, and now the season is really in danger. The disaster stems from a certified Philly classic: injuries. Joel Embiid, already an infrequent guest for Philly this year, is out for some time with a broken face. This time, it’s a sinus over an orbital bone, but that’s twice now, which is crazy.
Then shortly after Jared McCain, the Sixers breakout star, the one bright spot in a dismal season, suffered a torn meniscus. He is out indefinitely, pending the surgery, but it is mostly anywhere from 3-6 months. Now, the whole reason the Sixers went out and got Paul George was because he and Tyrese Maxey together were supposed to be able to carry the Sixers even without Embiid. So far, that has not been the case, and it wasn’t in this one.
Maxey has not shot well to start the season but was reasonably efficient in this one. The problem was George, who simply cannot play well in back-to-back games. In his last five games, George has shot 41%, 46%, 42%, 62% and 33%. Two good games and three bad, and that’s a microcosm of his whole season. The Sixers need George to play at a consistent max level if they want any chance.
While the Pacers have not looked good this season, Tyrese Haliburton has started to play better. The Pacers come and go based on him, and let’s not forget he took this team to the Eastern Conference Finals just last year. He dropped 32 points and 11 assists to lead his team to the win.
Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer
Weekly Musing: What’s Wrong With Paul George?
Paul George is on pace to have his worst season since his second year in 2011-12. George’s playstyle so far may be the issue. Almost every shot he takes are pull-up jumpers off the dribble, with little to no teammate involvement. Last year was one of George’s most efficient seasons (nearly 50/40/90), and 50% of his makes were assisted. This year, he’s at 32%. George has had one other season this low (2021-22), and it was arguably the worst shooting season of his career. George does not create for himself efficiently. It’s showing here, and perhaps it’s because of his shot diet.
He’s shooting almost exclusively jumpers this year. Despite relying on his jumper more these days, he has never attacked the rim this little. When he is at the rim, he’s finished fine, but he’s attempted just 14 field goals there or just 7.8% of his shots. That is absurdly low. Even the “threes-only” Buddy Hield is well above that.
The root cause of this could be the lack of playmakers on the Sixers. Maxey is not a natural passer. McCain isn’t either; both have been score-first guards. Kyle Lowry should take that role, but looks both washed and hardly gets an opportunity. George takes it on himself to initiate the offense fairly often. It could also be an issue of getting older and struggling to get past his man. Or it could just be something he can fix just by being more selective. The Sixers don’t have a lot of time to figure it out either way. If they don’t, the season will be a true disaster.
Patrick Yen is a contributor on Back Sports Page. He has written for NBC, SB Nation and a few more websites in his journalism career. He has been the Back Sports Page beat writer for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Patrick, a graduate from the Ohio State University, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but moved to Columbus, Ohio early in his life and has lived there ever since. You can find more of Patrick on Twitter @pyen117.
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