Sixers Showing The Risks Of Top-Heavy Rosters In Today’s NBA

The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2024-25 NBA season on the short list of championship favorites after signing star forward Paul George and revamping their supporting cast in free agency this past offseason. Two weeks into the season, they sit 14th in the Eastern Conference at 1-5, ahead of only the sputtering Milwaukee Bucks.

Injuries are largely to blame for the Sixers' slow start to the season. Star center Joel Embiid still has yet to play as he works his way back from left knee swelling that he experienced during training camp, while George made his season debut Monday in the Sixers' 118-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

This was the risk that the Sixers accepted by building a top-heavy roster this summer. They built their supporting cast specifically to complement Embiid, George and star point guard Tyrese Maxey, but they quickly become rudderless when they're missing one or more of their Big Three.

What's Gone Wrong For The Sixers

With Embiid and George sidelined, Maxey has done everything in his power to keep the Sixers afloat. He's averaging a career-high 30.2 points and playing a league-leading 41.0 minutes per game, but his efficiency has nosedived. After shooting 45.0% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range last year, he's down to 40.8% overall and 29.6% from deep this year. He also went from averaging a career-high 6.2 assists per game last year to only 4.3 this year.

That's all a byproduct of Embiid and George's absence. Embiid typically commands so much defensive attention, particularly when he's down in the post, that he frees up open looks for teammates. Without him and George on the floor, opponents have more resources to throw at Maxey. They'll happily dare the Sixers' supporting cast to beat them and live with the results.

So far, the supporting cast hasn't been up for the challenge. As a team, the Sixers are shooting 41.9% overall and 33.0% from deep. Kelly Oubre Jr. is their second-leading scorer with 16.8 points per game, but he's shooting only 40.2% overall and 29.7 from three-point range. Caleb Martin is a horrific 32.7% overall and 18.8% from long range.

The Sixers' lack of size has been on glaring display without Embiid and George, too. Despite being 13th leaguewide in offensive rebound percentage, they're currently last in the NBA in overall rebound percentage. They signed Andre Drummond with the hope that he could help keep them afloat in games that Embiid missed, but the early returns haven't been great in that regard.

Reinforcements On The Way?

The Sixers looked far less lifeless Monday with George than they had over the first five games of the season. They launched a season-high 51 three-point attempts and racked up a season-high 27 assists on 40 made field goals. Maxey had by far his most efficient game of the season (12-of-22 shooting), as the Suns couldn't dedicate quite as much defensive attention to him with George on the floor as well.

Barring any setbacks with George, perhaps the Sixers will be able to tread water until Embiid makes his season debut. Embiid was poised to do so as soon as Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, but the NBA handed him a three-game suspension for his recent postgame altercation with a local columnist.

The league's statement said Embiid's suspension would begin "with the next NBA regular-season game for which he is eligible and able to play." On Tuesday night, ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed that he'll miss the Sixers' next three games, which suggests that he would have played Wednesday if not for the suspension. He's now poised to make his season debut on Nov. 12 against the New York Knicks in the Sixers' first NBA Cup (aka in-season tournament) game.

If Embiid's career on/off splits are any indication, the Sixers should go right back to looking like legitimate championship contenders once he returns and gets himself back up to speed. (That process typically takes at least a few games.) However, the Sixers have already stated that they don't intend to play Embiid or George in both games of back-to-backs. There's a real chance that they could be 2-9 or 3-8 by next week.

That won't necessarily be an insurmountable hole for the Sixers to dig out of. Heading into Wednesday, only two teams in the East sit above .500. But if the Sixers continue to give up early-season ground, they could cost themselves valuable playoff seeding come April.

The bigger concern is Embiid's health moving forward. According to Amick, "there is an internal confidence Embiid's left knee issue can be successfully managed in the months ahead." However, "there is also a sober recognition that the opposite could be true, too, that his body could fail him yet again," he added.

Considering how they've looked so far this season without Embiid, the Sixers have zero chance of contending for a championship if he can't stay healthy. That's why they're so focused on the big picture this year, even if it costs them some regular-season wins. However, having three max contracts on their books left them with limited resources to assemble a supporting cast that could keep them afloat without their stars.

The Sixers were willing to make that trade-off with the playoffs in mind, as top-end talent typically wins out there. They're seeing the downsides of that approach early this season in Embiid's absence, though.