The 2024-25 Sixers season is over. They lost on Sunday afternoon to the Play-In Tournament-bound Chicago Bulls, 122-102, to finish a disastrous year with a porous 24-58 record. Here is what stood out from their season finale, featuring some early exit interview content and a signing at the 11th hour:
Tyrese Maxey holds exit interview
A few inactive Sixers held their exit interviews early Sunday afternoon before the game tipped off at 1:10 p.m., and one of those was Maxey, whose frustration with this nightmarish season has been well-documented for quite some time. Maxey is a winner; he had never been on a bad team at any level before this season quickly devolved into what it became. He is incredibly competitive, and all of the losing was clearly eating at him throughout the season. Maxey was open and honest about those struggles on Sunday. A host of noteworthy anecdotes from Maxey's availability:
• Maxey said the finger injury which kept him out for the final several weeks of the season is improving a bit, but he believes he may need another month or so before he can return to normal basketball activities. It should not be a significant hindrance to his training, particularly because his offseason is starting much earlier than he is used to.
• Maxey went out of his way to praise Joel Embiid for his leadership, desire to play under suboptimal circumstances and continued support of the team since being ruled out for the season. Moments later, Kelly Oubre Jr. expressed a similar sentiment during his own exit interview.
• An identical question was posed to Maxey and Oubre, who were asked about the positives they can take away from the 2024-25 season. They had nearly the exact same response. Maxey said "The only way to go is up," while Oubre's response was "it can't get any worse."
• Maxey continued to express confidence in the Sixers' talent level, repeating a comment he made on Media Day in September that "the names on the paper" reflect a team capable of competing for a championship. As did many of his teammates, Maxey continued to harp on the importance of the team staying healthy moving forward.
• More than any specific quote Maxey had or any point he made, the most apparent thing as he spoke was how much all of this has genuinely taken a toll on him. Everyone knows Maxey for his signature smile and constant positivity, so the degree to which he has seemed bummed out for much of the season has been jarring. "I think we all need a mental break," Maxey said, before adding "I just don't feel great right now. It's not a great feeling."
MORE: Paul George full exit interview
Sixers sign Isaiah Mobley for final day of season
When Isaiah Mobley woke up this morning, he was a member of the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League. At 1:28 p.m., he checked into his first NBA game in 364 days, his Sixers debut, as part of the team's regular rotation.
Colin Castleton's 10-day contract with the Sixers expired after their penultimate game, and Castleton quickly left the team to ink a standard contract for the final game of the season with the Toronto Raptors. To replace Castleton and reach the minimum eight players available, the Sixers used the hardship exception to bring up Mobley from their G League affiliate. Mobley had some experience with the Sixers' coaching staff, however, as he was with the team during training camp and the preseason on an Exhibit 10 contract.
With Guerschon Yabusele (knee) and Justin Edwards (rib) sitting out the season finale in addition to veterans Andre Drummond (toe), Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) and Kyle Lowry (hip), the Sixers made Quentin Grimes available despite a shoulder sprain and ensured Mobley would be available in order to get to an eight-man rotation. Grimes started alongside Jared Butler, Lonnie Walker IV, Marcus Bagley and Adem Bona, while head coach Nick Nurse had just three bench players available: Mobley, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Ricky Council IV.
It was only fitting that a season like this ended with the Sixers signing someone just to avoid being at risk of forfeiting a game. Poetic, some might say.
Up next: The Sixers will enter the 2025 offseason with a whole lot of decisions to make and even more uncertainty surrounding the long-term health of the franchise.
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