After he spent most of the season on the sidelines, the Philadelphia 76ers opted to rest Joel Embiid for the rest of the season in an attempt to get him as close to 100% as possible for next November. With the season all but lost, the organization has all but shifted their focus to the offseason, and will likely be looking for any opportunity to rest Tyrese Maxey, the only member of the Big 3 to not yet be set aside officially for the season.
Nick Nurse
Hired in the 2023 offseason, I still believe that Nick Nurse is the right man to lead this team, but it will involve some adjustments. The decision to rest players like Embiid and George every few games clearly didn't work, as neither player was able to find any sort of a rhythm in the rare event that they did play. Instead, he should look to limit their minutes in game, reducing their risk of injuries whilst exposing them to a wider variety of players and giving them an increase in time on court with their teammates.
One thing that Nurse does well is incorporating younger players into the rotation. Prime examples from just the last 2 years include Justin Edwards and Ricky Council IV, though the latter has seen those minutes dwindle away recently after a rough stretch of games. As a coach, he has correctly understood that though some of the older players may be better, it is important to give the future NBA generation a chance to show their potential, especially as their playoff hopes become bleaker and bleaker.
Paul George
After signing a 4 year, $200+ million contract in the offseason, 76ers fans expected to see the Paul George that would take them over the hump. Instead, they got the Paul George that would create a bigger, much more expensive hump. There is no clear or direct solution to this issue, unfortunately, as the team is scheduled to pay him $50 million in each of the next 3 year, not exactly a sum that you can just eat and move on. A large part of Nick Nurse's offseason, should he return, must be centered around incorporating George into a system that works for him.
Not all of the fault lies on the player, in this situation, as Paul George showed flashes of his old self throughout the year. The system that he played in put so much focus on Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid that their big time offseason signing felt like an afterthought. Even when Embiid and Maxey were out, George didn't seem to be the center of the offense. The whole 'big 3' idea didn't work, so maybe it's time to start thinking of the former superstar as a high end role player.
Daryl Morey
He's made good moves throughout his career, he's made really good moves, but at what point does the pile up of mistakes push him over the edge? I'm not justifying him potentially being fired, but I would understand the move. Nobody really throws away $200 million of the team's money on one player, only to have your worst season since Nerlens Noel and comes back from it unscathed.
Morey's offseason this year should consist of a lot of role players - exactly what he should have done this past summer. The idea should be to build around Embiid and Maxey, with the #3 of Paul George. Young guys like Edwards and Council would be welcomed back, but aren't necessarily needed. Quentin Grimes would be a nice touch as either the #5 option or the 6th man, and Guerschon Yabusele appears to be set for a return, as well. Other than that, though, I wouldn't think there are any guaranteed re-sign spots on this roster.
Eli Knight
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