The Philadelphia 76ers dropped their second straight game to fall to 16-13 on the season, and suffice to say that no one probably expected them to go winless in games where their vaunted Big Three are all in uniform. Yet here we are, 29 games in, and this team still has no clue as to their offensive identity with all those three players active.
On the road, the 76ers struggled immensely in clutch time against the feisty Bulls, now winners of five straight. But the bigger narrative is the fact that people were completely wrong about this team’s dynamic. As it turns out, their older stars can still play really well, but puzzlingly enough, their younger pieces seem frazzled when things don’t go their way role-wise.
Tyrese Maxey had another uncharacteristic night and was not very good during crunch time, either. VJ Edgecombe did not shoot the ball well at all and forced the traffic aa lot of times. Quentin Grimes’s brutal shooting slump continued. Philly’s younger pieces did not show up in this game, and unfortunately, agenda-driven people will somehow find a way to toss this up to their Big Three not being a good triumvirate.
The 76ers were completely wrong about their team’s dynamic
Yes, he has taken a step back, but Joel Embiid remains one of the most potent big men on the planet. Paul George has looked his age and then some at times, but he is still a high-caliber three-and-D guy who can do much more than just shoot and defend. When the 76ers get treated to these kinds of brilliant basketball displays, the younger guys have to keep the same energy and avoid playing like loose kids couched in the supposed comfort of having those vets as fallbacks.
Turns out, this team can still operate with its old stewards doing the piloting. It is up to the younger cogs to find ways to rev up that engine, especially when it is still a properly functioning one despite the occasional hiccups.
The 76ers are slowly ushering in a new era, but they are constructed in such a way that their old parts will remain part of what they are building for now and for the future. When Embiid and George are on the floor still doing their thing, the 76ers need to figure out how to play as one, instead of subconsciously making a stylistic divide and playing without any semblance of identity.
The season is still young, but so far, the 76ers have failed in the test of striking a better balance between their established and up-and-coming stars. Hopefully, that offensive identity is something they can harness moving forward.