The Philadelphia 76ers will officially be without star center Joel Embiid for at least 4 weeks. In his absence so far, the team has majorly struggled and have been unable to find a rhythm. In order to keep them in contention, multiple players need to step up and fill bigger roles, and the coaches need to find a way to use them.
Embiid was averaging a career high 35.6 points per game, so obviously they will need to fill the void in terms of points, but he also racked up a team high in rebounds and was top 5 in assists. The 2 centers behind him, Paul Reed and Mo Bamba, are not nearly as flexible, and struggle to come anywhere near his numbers.
At the trade deadline, they acquired Buddy Hield from the Pacers, although they gave up Marcus Morris and Furkan Korkmaz to get him. Continuing, they gave away former first round pick Jaden Springer for picks, Patrick Beverley for picks and Cam Payne, and Danuel House for cash. They appear to be in the market for a buyout player, such as Kyle Lowry, and were clearing up cap space to be able to fit him in.
All of this, however, might not be enough to fill the void left in Embiid's absence. The moves almost contradicted each other, as Buddy Hield showed that the team was ready to stay contending this year, and trading away Beverley for next to nothing showed that they were truly unsure. The acquisition of Lowry would greatly improve the team's standing, and let the fans know where they are in the franchise.
If Maxey, Harris, and co. are able to keep the team as a top 6 team and out of the play-in, it is likely that medical staff tries to rush Embiid back a little bit, and get him ready for the playoffs. On the other hand, if the team continues to drop into the standings, into the play-in or possibly (although unlikely) farther, it could be a very long time until the Philly faithful see their superstar on the court again.
As of right now, things are not looking good for the Sixers. They are in pure freefall mode, with truly no direction. I believe that the all star break cold be very helpful for the organization, as it could help them to take some time and figure out a scheme with their star not playing. There are still plenty of factors that will go in to the rest of the season, but those factors need to be decided on quickly.
-Eli Knight
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