Philadelphia 76ers fans are among the most difficult to please in the NBA, and a dispiriting season will only give them a richer reason not to follow the edict to let cool heads prevail, especially in the context of offseason discourse.
Scroll through 76ers-centered social media pages, and you will be bombarded by the sheer volume of fans who have grown tired of the team turning in disappointing finishes year in and out. This season, that foul narrative has only gotten more stink. With the team failing to even get close to making the play-in tournament, that not-so-dormant angst will be further unleashed tis offseason.
One of the biggest talking points among fans — and some pundits — about the team’s offseason plans is what the 76ers plan on doing with Paul George. The nine-time All-Star struggled mightily this season, and given his age and injury-proneness, a huge chunk of the fanbase already wants him gone after just one campaign.
Indisputable fact could prevent the 76ers from trading Paul George this offseason
However, one stocky hurdle stands in the way of the front office to yield to what the fans want — the fact of the relative unknown. One thing fans cannot deny is that George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey have barely played together this season to warrant a full-blown call to tear the trio down.
Together, Philly’s feared Big Three, at least before the season began, only sniffed the court as a trio in 15 total games. Again, that is way too small of a sample size, and in the eyes of the front office, that alone could suffice as a reason for the team to stick with its current nucleus, no matter how poignant things have looked this year.
George himself admitted that getting his rhythm this season was pretty strenuous, and his lack of chemistry with his co-stars should perhaps have made this campaign’s turnout more precedented than fans would like to admit.
In a recent correspondence with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey (subscription required), George delved into his desire to forge a stronger bond with Embiid and Maxey, even outside the court.
”I think that’s very important. We’ve already talked about seeing each other, where we’re going to be this summer. So we’ve already had those conversations about connecting once the season’s over. I think it’s very important. I don’t think it’s healthy to go two, three months before seeing each other, regardless of if we’re checking in over the phone. It’s just different seeing each other.”
For now, George is making an implicit plea for more patience with him and the current group. While that would probably leave a bitter taste for some, in light of an undeniable fact that completely derailed the franchise this season, that is perhaps the most prudent thing to do for the Philadelphia 76ers as a collective.