The Philadelphia 76ers have lost three of their last four games to drop to 5-3 on the season. While that is not nearly enough to make anyone following the team panic, fans cannot help but to think of the hypotheticals during their latest cold stretch, especially that which embroiled them in their recent choke job against the Chicago Bulls.
Entering the final frame, the 76ers seemed well on their way to secure their sixth win on the season, which would have been the picture-perfect scenario for them given that the Cavaliers were awaiting them on the second leg of a back-to-back. Unfortunately, the Bulls completed a furious comeback, and Cleveland wasted no time salvaging of a weary Philadelphia squad.
Philly went cold to finish their game against Chicago, and if one thing stalled their entire mojo in the fourth quarter, it is the jarring decision of the coaching staff to send out a cold Joel Embiid during crunch time and force feed him with the rock in hopes of regaining their rhythm on offense.
Seems familiar? Well, it’s the same old trick the team has embraced for years now, but this time around, it definitely did not work.
76ers made a poor choice forcing things through Joel Embiid
The 76ers were not able to convert on a field goal attempt for the last six minutes of the Bulls game, and the coaching staff deserves a huge slice of the blame pie for that one.
The Sixers went 0-11 FG in the last 6:26 of loss vs. Bulls. They managed just 2 points, both from the free throw line, in that stint.
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) November 5, 2025
Here is every Sixers possession from it — note the complete lack of movement off the ball, terrible Joel Embiid iso, wild shot selection, etc. pic.twitter.com/zcYMRacY6v
Nick Nurse and his staff had trotted out Embiid for that period, but instead of allowing him to find his spots naturally on offense, the team had other ideas and resorted to giving him full liberty to play isolation basketball. And as one might expect from a player on a minutes restriction who was sitting out for significant durations, he did not look right at all.
Moving forward, the 76ers have to accept the fact that Embiid will be much better off capitalizing on the heightened defensive focus on Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and their electric backcourt. Trying to funnel everything through the former MVP, in view of him having a more rigorous time to catch his mojo, will only adversely affect their chances, especially in clutch situations.
Hopefully, this one comes out as a huge learning experience for the 76ers, from the coaching staff down to the players on the hardwood. Joel Embiid iso-ball can only get them so far, especially at his current condition, while also being a poor way of maximizing their clear advantages on the floor.