Latest injury blow just humiliated the 76ers in the worst way possible

The Philadelphia 76ers keep getting screwed by the basketball gods. As if a tough loss wasn’t already clear at that point, the team also lost Tyrese Maxey to injury. During the final minutes of their recent game against the Hawks, the All-Star guard collided with big man Adem Bona as they were going after a loose ball. He appears to have hurt his hand in the process, which is a huge blow to the team during this critical stretch run.

Depending on how long Maxey will be sidelined, the 76ers face the real possibility of missing the playoffs. But there is another aspect that only reflects the huge embarrassment they are under — the worsening sentiment around their decision to trade Jared McCain, who could have greatly helped in softening the blow of Maxey’s probable absence.

People have already been clowning them for the huge miscalculation they made in trading the promising sophomore guard, with Daryl Morey still doing his earnest to convince people that he did the right thing. Now, they are going to feel McCain’s absence even more profoundly, and it is bound to embarrass them further.

The 76ers will miss Jared McCain even more after Tyrese Maxey’s latest injury

Philly was already lacking depth in the backcourt, and it was further extenuated when they got rid of Jared McCain. The front office technically filled in the void he left by going after and eventually signing veteran point guard Cameron Payne, but as everyone knows, he is far from the caliber and kind of player that McCain is.

Now, the coaching staff will have to find a way to replace Maxey’s stellar production in nearly 39 minutes per game. VJ Edgecombe is hobbled himself, while Quentin Grimes has already been struggling when given more exposure on the court this season. Payne does not inspire much confidence with his performances thus far. The fact that Kyle Lowry is not slated to get real minutes is a sheer disaster.

This would not have been the case had the 76ers did what the 29 other teams in the league would have done under the same situation. McCain has been splendid for the Thunder, which have not shied away from handing him ample court time right from thet get-go despite their logjam in the backcourt. All the 76ers can do now is revel in regret and hope that Maxey ends up not missing significant time — otherwise, their playoff hopes could just be over.