By all accounts, the vibes are good heading into this season with the Philadelphia 76ers. Positive, there are questions — Joel Embiid and Paul George stay out with unsure timelines after offseason surgical procedures, and Jered McCain is out for a number of extra weeks with a torn thumb ligament — however the feeling round a crew with out excessive exterior expectations is sweet.
That’s very totally different than final season.
In a narrative discussing how the vibes went south so quick in Philly final season, Yaron Weitzman of The Ringer says that there have been frustrations with Joel Embiid and his obscure harm timetables — gamers and coaches have been not sure whether or not the star would play night-to-night, and he solely performed 19 video games — however issues bought a lot worse after particulars of a participant’s solely assembly in November went public.
“The group was constructed round one man who doesn’t belief anybody and largely retains to himself,” one former Sixers staffer stated. When Embiid appeared in simply 19 video games final season, that isolation created organizational chaos …
Stress escalated after a November players-only assembly was leaked to ESPN’s Shams Charania, with grievances directed at Embiid turning into public. The breach broken locker room belief and appeared to have an effect on Embiid most importantly.
“Individuals left that night time feeling like that they had turned a nook. Everybody promised to maintain the small print in-house. After which they get up and all the small print are out,” an individual near a participant stated.
“All of it created an setting of dysfunction,” stated an affiliate of a Sixers participant.
Possibly a participant talked to Charania. Possibly a participant detailed the assembly to his agent, who spoke to Charania. Nevertheless it occurred, no person appears to be disputing the small print of the report, however relatively that it bought out. It led to much more mistrust with Embiid and his camp.
Philadelphia is seeking to put that behind them, get the vibes proper and their stars on the courtroom with a younger and promising backcourt — Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, McCain and Quentin Grimes — and make a playoff push in a down Japanese Convention. It’s coaching camp, however to this point the vibes are nonetheless good.
We’ll see how these vibes maintain up when the inevitable struggles that come to each crew hit the Sixers this season. Hopefully it goes higher than final season.
