The Sixers have lost seven games in a row, with no end to their struggles in sight amid a hellacious slate of games in the month ahead and an unforgiving injury bug striking. They are now a season-worst 12 games below .500, standing at 15-27 in what has been a cataclysmic season.
As we do every week, let's see how folks in the national media are feeling about the Sixers in a power ranking roundup:
NBA.com: 22 (+1 from last week)
How could the Sixers move up a spot in a set of power rankings without winning a game in the last week? Valiant, undermanned efforts against elite teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks likely helped, in addition to lackluster showings from teams in the same region of the league. Writer John Schuhmann discusses the Sixers' horrid injury bug:
"The Sixers are the only team without a lineup that’s played at least 75 minutes this season, and their most-used lineup (72 minutes) doesn’t include [Joel] Embiid. They had a great lineup that played more than 200 minutes last season, but that was in just 14 total games" [NBA.com]
The extent to which the Sixers have been unable to find any sort of lineup consistency is jarring. It is not just about Embiid; nearly every critical player on the team has had an extended absence at some point, and many of them have gone down at the same time.
MORE: Sixers blown out by Nuggets
ESPN: 23 (no change from last week)
ESPN's experts are tasked with naming the player under the most pressure for each team. That is an easy choice for writer Tim Bontemps:
"It remains Joel Embiid. Unlike the past few seasons, though, when the question was whether Philadelphia would have what it takes to make a deep playoff run, this season is instead about whether the 76ers will make the playoffs at all. Plus, Embiid is now sidelined for an undetermined period of time because of a knee issue." [ESPN]
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after a practice last week that there has been no thought given to shutting Embiid down for the season, but as the losses keep piling up, so will the questions about whether or not that is the best course of action.
The Athletic: 23 (no change from last week)
Writer Law Murray goes through each team and singles out a potential representative during All-Star weekend. Tyrese Maxey appears on the outside looking when it comes to a serious All-Star candidacy, and with Jared McCain out for the year, the Sixers likely do not have any first- or second-year players who could be in the Rising Stars Challenge. So, Murray went with Ricky Council IV as a potential participant in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
"We’re really reaching here, and it should have never gotten to this point…. Even the wins have been losses, as Jared McCain won’t return this season after flashing in his opportunity as a rookie. We’re left with Council hopefully getting a chance to show off his explosiveness.." [The Athletic]
Any frequent readers of our Sixers coverage, particularly during the summer, probably read the phrase "All-Star trio" to describe Embiid, Maxey and Paul George on many occasions. But they have not lived up to that billing whatsoever this season.
MORE: Which Sixers are most likely to be traded at the deadline?
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