With just 20 games on their schedule before the regular season ends, the Philadelphia 76ers have no other choice but to push as hard as they can on the gas pedal. They are still on the chase for homecourt advantage at least for the first round in the playoffs, yet they are not exactly in the clear in the postseason race out East.
Not having Joel Embiid and Paul George, however, has made life so difficult for them. Without two of their All-Stars, the 76ers have slowly come to the realization that their roster is so star-dependent that they are constantly facing a talent deficit almost on a nightly basis. Tyrese Maxey has been Tyrese Maxey, but him alone will not save them from their middling play for quite some time now.
Philly is currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, but they are only a game above the seventh-seeded Magic in the standings. There is a real possibility that the 76ers end up missing the playoffs altogether. After all, within the context of sudden death outings in the playoffs-in tournament, their opponents can get hot and knock them off completely.
The 76ers have a talent deficit with Embiid and George out
This might sound like plain and glib sailing, but obviously, it is not rocket science to figure out that a team missing two of its stars is going to be worse than when it is at full strength. However, this will not preclude the talking point of just how shallow the overall talent on this roster is outside of their stars.
Maxey has been typical Maxey — one of the absolute best scorers in the league, but without his co-stars, the 76ers have simply looked defeated in a lot of their games. He has become a one-man wrecking crew, but as anyone can expect, that has not translated into wins for the team.
Beyond Maxey is the problem. The 76ers do not really have much talent outside of Maxey. VJ Edgecombe has plateaued and has become inconsistent with his scoring. Kelly Oubre Jr. sandwiches in standout performances in between ugly stretches. Quentin Grimes has been unwatchable at times. There is simply not a lot to work with for the coaching staff without Embiid and George.
This just goes to show that building that functional depth and actually investing in young, high-ceiling players should be the goal for the front office. Big name-hunting can only get you so far, and in light of injuries, those sterling players become a mere afterthought. Hopefully, Daryl Morey and his crew will change their ways moving forward.