The Philadelphia 76ers and their star Joel Embiid have made one of the worst starts to the 2024-25 NBA season. They find themselves sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. On Monday night, they suffered yet another harsh defeat against the Miami Heat, taking their tally to 2-11. This led to veteran guard Kyle Lowry calling for a team meeting.
Their star combination of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Embiid has yet to play together. According to insiders who spoke to ESPN, the team’s fourth consecutive defeat prompted this urgent meeting. This served as a vital heart-to-heart and a call to action. At the beginning of the season, coaches and players took responsibility for one another.
Most importantly, 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey called out his teammate and star man Joel Embiid in the meeting for always ‘being late’ as per ESPN. Maxey’s comments, which expressed worry over the team’s overall performance, urged Embiid to assume a more leadership. The insider underlined that the two players’ relationship is still solid and based on respect for one another, even though the remarks were harsh.
“Last night the 76ers had a team meeting & I was told that Tyrese Maxey challenged Joel Embiid..
He told him that we need you to be on time for team activities..
Tyrese loves Joel but he delivered a message that I think a lot of people saw coming” @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/gZarFbioLn
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 19, 2024
Aside from this, Embiid has not looked himself since his return to the court from a long-standing knee injury this season. He has been involved in a lot of criticism. This was for his recent performances as well as remarks off the court. The 76ers hopes he shrugs off his bad form as he is one of the crucial players on their roster.
76ers HC Nick Nurse safe amid recent ‘call-for-action’ team meeting reveals insiders
The Philadelphia 76ers’ bad start to this 2024-25 NBA season remains concerning. However, there have been no signs/rumors of their coach Nick Nurse being sacked. It seems to be the opposite. The 76ers are backing their head coach to change the course of the season.
As per ESPN, coaches responded by saying they want players to practice purposefully and meticulously. This was after players informed the 76ers coach that they wanted harder coaching. According to the sources, Joel Embiid responded to the challenge, but expressed dissatisfaction and a lack of understanding of his usage on the court.
Expectations were high for a competitive run against strong teams like the Boston Celtics. This was because of the new players in the lineup. This includes rookie Jared McCain, Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Guerschon Yabusele, and Caleb Martin. However, things have taken a toll on the 76ers. They now have to get together to find a spot for the NBA Playoffs.
