The Philadelphia 76ers had a lot of issues last season – and that’s an understatement. Whether it was a lack of chemistry or locker room tension, it felt like something was always going wrong. Nonetheless, all of Philadelphia’s problems stemmed from the injury bug that single-handedly derailed its championship aspirations. However, Guerschon Yabusele believed that the main cause for the 76ers’ downfall wasn’t necessarily their health, but their response to it.
Yabusele recently appeared on Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s podcast “Roommates Show”. When asked about what went wrong with Philadelphia last season, he gave an unexpected response: “What really changed the team, in my opinion, were the trades,” Yabusele said. “Because, I feel like we were there, guys were just injured.”
Injuries were easily the reason for the 76ers' downfall
As I said, a lot went wrong for the 76ers within the past year. However, every trouble fell under the umbrella of injuries. With Joel Embiid, Paul George, and various rotational players in and out of the lineup, Philadelphia sported a 20-30 record at the trade deadline. On the rare occasion the 76ers were near full health, the lack of cohesion was evident. Their once-prized star trio of Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey went 7-8 in games played together, which is reflective.
As a result, Philadelphia’s front office had to act accordingly and made a series of trades to gain more draft capital and financial wiggle room. It dealt Caleb Martin to the Dallas Mavericks for Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick, which became Johni Broome. K.J. Martin was salary-dumped to the Utah Jazz. The 76ers also traded Reggie Jackson and a 2026 first-round pick swap to the Washington Wizards for Jared Butler and four future second-rounders.
While those moves weren’t of the win-now variety, Philadelphia didn’t necessarily get better or worse following the trade deadline. It didn’t matter anyway as injuries continued to ravage the 76ers. Eventually, they had no choice but to raise the white flag and enter an impromptu tank.
I’m not going to argue with a player who was with the 76ers from start to finish last season. But, at the same time, the moves they made were nothing but a sidenote in a nightmarish campaign. At no point in the season was there a point where Philadelphia looked legitimate. Yes, it did go 9-3 in December, but seven of those wins came from sub .500 teams. To put it simply, injuries were the main culprit of the 76ers’ undoing and you can’t argue otherwise.