The Sixers are losers of four straight games — with the last arguably being the worst of the bunch — and their horrific, season-long slide has sunk them to a 20-33 record. In another power rankings roundup, let's see how our friends in the national media feel about the state of this team:
NBA.com: 23 (-2 from last week)
The struggles of 34-year-old Paul George — both in terms of staying healthy and playing up to his previous standards — have been very apparent all season. Writer John Schuhmann dives into George's particularly noteworthy struggles since returning from a finger injury which now has him wearing a splint. The stats he provides do not include Tuesday's game against the Toronto Raptors, in which George scored 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
"George, meanwhile, totaled just 35 points in his three games back from a five-game absence. He didn’t shoot poorly over the two weekend games, but he registered a usage rate of just 15.9% fifth on the team and lower than that of Quentin Grimes (16.5%), who was playing his first two games with the Sixers. George’s season-long usage rate of 24.3% would be his lowest in the last 12 years." [NBA.com]
George's season-long usage going down significantly relative to his career marks should not be the most stunning development in the world. But it is jarring to consider when Joel Embiid has missed the vast majority of the season so far. The Sixers signed George in part to stabilize their team when Embiid is unavailable, and George himself has not been available consistently enough or productive enough to do that.
MORE: Grimes, Jared Butler talk post-trade deadline transitions
ESPN: 23 (-1 from last week)
With the Sixers likely to lose their first-round pick this year — they only keep the selection if it falls in the top six — one could argue that with the team now 13 games under .500, the team should focus on maximizing its lottery odds rather than its playoff chances. Writer Tim Bontemps sees that as a very possible outcome:
"It appeared Philadelphia was briefly moving in the right direction, but then came back-to-back desultory losses over the weekend to Detroit and Milwaukee with the 76ers' big three of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all playing. Team owner Josh Harris said he still believes this team can make a playoff run, but a spot in the lottery looks far more likely, especially after Embiid acknowledged he might need another surgery on his left knee." [ESPN]
The Sixers have now lost three consecutive games they were favored to win — one against the Cade Cunningham-less Detroit Pistons, one against the Giannis Antetokoummpo-less Milwaukee Bucks and one against a short-handed Toronto Raptors team — despite having all of Embiid, George and Maxey.
The Athletic: 23 (no change from last week)
Grimes has now logged three appearances as a Sixer since being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks. His individual showings have largely been encouraging, despite the team's performances during his games being much less encouraging. Writer Law Murray details how Grimes and Justin Edwards help the Sixers get younger moving forward:
"The clock is ticking on the Sixers, but they did upgrade the bench by acquiring Grimes, who is now on his fourth team since the beginning of last February while still on his rookie contract. Philadelphia has handed out more than 1,600 minutes combined to 30-something guards Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry and the since-traded Reggie Jackson this season. Grimes gives the Sixers a shooter with backcourt size. Undrafted rookie forward Justin Edwards has also been promoted from his two-way contract after starting the last eight games and shooting 41 percent from 3. But everything comes down to how many games the Sixers can get out of Joel Embiid and Paul George." [The Athletic]
If the Sixers did accomplish any one thing at this trade deadline, it was getting younger. In fact, Daryl Morey told the media last week that getting younger and "more dynamic" was the team's guiding philosophy as they surveyed the trade market.
MORE: Morey addresses deadline deals, Embiid's knee, more
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