When free agency began this summer, the Philadelphia 76ers were quick to announce they have agreed to sign All-Star forward Paul George to a contract. Tim Bontemps was among the first to react to their signing, giving the team praise and proclaiming they can go all the way to the Finals. As we say in the Internet world, “That hasn’t aged well.”
Philadelphia 76ers Making Tim Bontemps Look Sillier than Ever
On July 2, ESPN writer Tim Bontemps hopped on “Get Up” to talk about the move. He said,
“The Sixers now have the best Big 3 in the NBA. It’s really not close. With the three guys we have now, all of them were All-Stars last year. You’ve got a lead guard in Maxey, got an elite two-way wing in Paul George, you got maybe the most dominant big in the league and Joel Embiid. They fit together perfectly. They complement each other in every way on the court. They’re versatile. Paul George is an elite shooter. You have two elite shooters now giving spacing around Embiid. They can go out and get any kind of role players that can fit alongside them. They’re versatile in a lot of ways.”
Bontemps also talked about how the Sixers measure against the best team in the East, the Boston Celtics, adding:
“They have the highest ceiling now of any team in the league, but the Boston Celtics, and they can go toe to toe with the Celtics depending on how healthy these guys are, which is obviously the biggest question.”
Fast forward a month into the season, and the Philadelphia 76ers are only 2-12 to begin with. Their three stars have played only a single half together (Paul George left Wednesday’s game with an injury). Joel Embiid has been in and out of the lineup. Tyrese Maxey has missed time.
What seemed like a championship contender in the summer, now looks like a team fighting for the No.1 draft pick. Of course, even Bontemps said health might be an issue, but nobody expected things to go sideways.
Who is to Blame for the Sixers’ Poor Start?
We can point fingers at almost everyone on the Sixers, but one thing derailed the season even before it started. And that was Joel Embiid saying he probably will not play back-to-back games. That statement, even before the season started, put them in an uncomfortable place. The team poorly managed it, and they have had to answer questions about Embiid’s health and availability ever since.
Can the Sixers Turn it Around?
Things looked awful for the Sixers even before they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and lost Paul George to injury.
Their 2-12 start is the worst since they started 0-14 during the 2015-2016 NBA season. They are now the 93rd team to start the season 2-12. According to stats by SportsCenter, only 6 of the previous 92 teams have made the playoffs. That is less than 7%, with the most recent example the Pelicans in the 2022 postseason.
Despite everything, the Philadelphia 76ers have two things going their way. The rest of the East is not looking as deep and as powerful. If they were in the West, this would have been a different story. For comparison, the 10th seed in the East, Milwaukee, is now 6-9. The 10th seed in the West, the Sacramento Kings, are 8-7.
The other thing going in their favor is the new format, the Play-In tournament. Even if they do not finish with a top-six seed, they can try to get into the playoffs through there.
The Sixers now have a three-game stretch of home games with plenty of rest in between. They play the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, and the Houston Rockets next Wednesday.
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