With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback when Paul George exited early with a hyperextended left knee. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were still helped along by rookie sensation Jared McCain, but the Sixers still fell to 2-12 on the season in the 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies.

George is not expected to miss significant time, with coach Nick Nurse likening the injury to the bruise he worked through on the same knee several weeks ago. Tests will still be conducted to establish his potential return date.

Embiid, who has been heavily criticized for Philadelphia’s plan to frequently rest him this season, was easily the team’s standout player Wednesday. The big man scored 35 points with 11 rebounds, and McCain chipped in with his sixth straight 20-point game. But with Maxey shooting 3-for-13 on limited reps and George out again, the Sixers still appeared painfully hamstrung in the loss.

“Listen, it’s certainly not easy,” Nurse told reporters after the game. “Tyrese just getting back and didn’t really have a feel tonight, and Paul going out. … We didn’t put enough together again for 48.”

If Embiid had been available at the start of the season, it’s easy to argue that the Sixers would have more than two wins. It’s hard to take the argument much further than that, however. His absence is not the only issue for this team.

Based on the play deeper down the bench, excluding McCain, it’s clear that the supporting cast in Philly can’t carry a franchise at the NBA level. Maxey tried to carry the team and failed while also playing himself into an injury earlier this season. 

Much like his star teammate, Embiid has consistent injury concerns and can only do so much. George is a veteran at this point, far removed from his one-man-show days in Indiana. If the Sixers can’t consistently start their three best players together, this team will likely continue down this treacherous path to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. 

Fourteen games in, most teams have used the early part of the season to settle in and develop a system. Seemingly at least one man down at all times, Philadelphia is already well behind the curve.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George received a mixed homecoming upon returning to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Wednesday night. The team honored him with a video tribute before the game, but he also received several choruses of boos from fans upset with his departure in free agency this past off-season.

“It is stupid,” George said of the crowd’s reactions after the game. “I mean, I was a free agent, you know what I mean? It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. I was a free agent. The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation.”

George finished the game with 18 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes on the floor, his second appearance in the regular season since recovering from an injury. His addition did little to help, however, as the Sixers struggled to build any momentum without star Joel Embiid and lost 110-98.

Clippers fans have received a lot of attention early in the 2024-25 season for their boisterous reactions on The Wall, the name for the steep, consecutive rows of seats behind the visitor’s baseline. This arrangement has made the arena a unique playing environment, giving fans the chance to make themselves heard by the likes of George.

After five seasons in Los Angeles, the 34-year-old veteran opted to leave in free agency, eventually landing in Philadelphia on a four-year, $211 million deal. The Clippers made it to the playoffs in three of his five seasons with the team and advanced to the conference finals in 2021.

In a new arena without George, the Clippers have gotten off to a pedestrian 4-4 start this season, leaning heavily on point guard James Harden while Kawhi Leonard misses time with an injury. Shooting guard Norman Powell has also stepped up early in the season and led the Clippers with 26 points in their win over the Sixers.

Los Angeles fans made it clear that they’re missing George to an extent, but the nine-time All-Star hasn’t done anything to help Philadelphia through a brutal opening stretch. With Embiid banged up and George only recently returning, star point guard Tyrese Maxey has tried but failed to carry the team singlehandedly. Now, Maxey is expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury. The Sixers are 1-6 so far this season without a clear road forward.

The Philadelphia 76ers officially signed first-round pick Jared McCain Thursday to a rookie-scale deal, the exact details of which have not been disclosed. McCain is scheduled to appear in two summer leagues later this month.

The 76ers selected McCain with the 16th overall pick last month, meaning that he is in line to sign a four-year rookie contract worth approximately $19 million. The guard out of Duke has gained immense popularity for his social media presence.

In addition to being named a McDonald’s All-American in high school and earning ACC All-Rookie honors in his only season at Duke, McCain might be even more well known for his dances and singing on TikTok. This level of exposure entering the NBA could earn him unwanted attention, but McCain claims to be aware of the challenges ahead.

“Even since high school, I’ve had the social media,” McCain said earlier this week, according to USA Today. “I’ve gotten hate since high school. I’ve painted my nails since high school. So I understand. The TikToks are always going to come into play after one bad game. I understand it.”

At age 19, McCain is unlikely to make an immediate impact for the 76ers, but his teammate, recent 76ers signee Paul George, said on his podcast this week that he approves of the rookie’s preparedness entering the league.

“Personality stands out more than anything,” George said. “He’s got a personality that, like, ‘I’m me. Ima do me. I’m me.’ The fact that he don’t give a (expletive) that he paints his nails and what people say about that and he can still be himself and go hoop? You can call him anything at that point!”

At Duke, McCain scored 14.3 points per game and quickly became a leader on a young Blue Devils team. Duke advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament but lost to NC State.

The Philadelphia 76ers owners and former owner Michael Rubin combined forces to buy more than 2,000 of their tickets for the team’s Game 6 matchup against the New York Knicks on Thursday. The owners will give away the tickets to specific groups in Philadelphia, hoping to avoid another takeover after Knicks fans flooded the Wells Fargo Center for Game 4.

“Josh Harris, David Blitzer, [David Adelman], and I just bought more than 2,000 tix for Sixers Game 6 – we CANNOT let Knicks fans take over our arena again!!!” Rubin posted on X earlier this week. “Giving them to first responders, health care professionals and other local Philadelphia-based organizations once we know they’re legit Sixers fans and not imposters!!”

The 76ers fanbase is reinvigorated in response to the overwhelming presence of New York fans in its arena in Game 4, a 97-92 Knicks victory. Nearly 100 miles from Madison Square Garden, chants for Knicks star Jalen Brunson to win MVP echoed through the rafters as the road team took a 3-1 series lead and put Philadelphia on the brink of elimination. 76ers star Joel Embiid admitted being frustrated about the turnout after the game.

“It’s disappointing,” Embiid told reporters. “It kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They’ve always shown up, and I don’t think that should happen. It’s not ok.”

In New York for Game 5, the 76ers won a do-or-die game 112-106 after Philadelphia point guard Tyrese Maxey hit a clutch shot in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime. Not only did the win keep the team alive, but it also gave 76ers fans another home game. It could be their last of the 2023-24 season. As the Knicks fanbase rallies around its team amid a historic season, the 76ers fanbase may have one more opportunity to respond.

On Thursday, Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler received an MRI that confirmed an MCL sprain he suffered in the team’s Play-In game against the 76ers. He has already been ruled out for the team’s game against the Bulls on Friday and is expected to miss several weeks, jeopardizing the team’s dwindling playoff hopes.

Butler sustained the injury and exited the game near the end of the first quarter Wednesday, and though Miami went on to extend its lead on Philadelphia at the half, the 76ers wore the team down and won 105-104. The Heat can still advance to the playoffs as the eighth seed with a win Friday over Chicago, but doing so will be easier with Butler.

As the eighth seed last season, Butler led the Heat to an appearance in the NBA Finals after the team defeated the Bucks, Knicks and Celtics in shocking Eastern Conference upsets. “Playoff Jimmy” was in rare form, carrying the team almost singlehandedly at points against the best teams in the NBA.

Butler’s injury timeline will be irrelevant if the Heat cannot get past Chicago and nab the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. However, if Miami wins, his absence will continue to be an issue if he misses multiple weeks, as The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reported. The Heat would only have a short rest before a matchup with the first-seeded Boston Celtics, a well-rested team with a 64-18 record this season in search of revenge for last year’s Eastern Conference Final.

Barring some improbable circumstances, Miami will not be able to defeat Boston without Butler. The team is hardly a playoff contender anyway and only advanced as far as it did last year because of his heroics. The Bulls may still be beatable with a mediocre 39-43 record. Still, the road from there goes from prohibitively tricky to practically impossible if Butler is on the sideline in street clothes.

After last season, many picked Miami as a sentimental underdog candidate again this season; fans outside Boston hoped that the team could make the first round somewhat interesting. The odds of another Cinderella run just dropped precipitously, however.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Miami Heat 105-104 in the Play-In Tournament Wednesday, earning the seventh seed in the playoffs. In the comeback victory, 76ers star and reigning MVP Joel Embiid proved he could be a massive problem for the second-seeded New York Knicks in the first round.

Down 12 at the half, Embiid led Philadelphia in a steady and consistent charge, taking the lead late in the game and surviving a last-second Miami rally to hang on by a point. The big man, who recently returned from injury, ended the game with 20 points and 15 rebounds. 

“It means a lot,” Embiid told reporters after the game. “Being down a lot … we stuck together. It shows you that. I don’t play my best, and I don’t get to my spots the whole game until the fourth quarter when we still found a way to win. They like to make it nasty and we can do it, too, and we made it nasty, too.”

While Miami will have to face the Chicago Bulls for the right to the eighth seed, Philadelphia will now prepare for the postseason and a matchup with the Knicks. New York spent most of the regular season vying for the third or fourth seed with the Orlando Magic, but the team flew to No. 2 in the Eastern Conference after the Milwaukee Bucks collapsed in the final 10 games.

While the Knicks will have to compete without Julius Randle, who suffered a season-ending injury last month, the team is still led by point guard Jalen Brunson, who has stepped into superstardom and scored 28.7 points per game this season. The team has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this year, but there are still questions about New York’s ability to handle Embiid.

While the Knicks overperformed in the 2023-24 season, earning 50 wins for the first time in three decades, the 76ers vastly underperformed in a season where they were expected to vie for a championship. 

Coming off a loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinal last year, the team spent most of this season treading water. Embiid’s injury in January didn’t help, but his return earlier this month could not have been more timely. Philadelphia won its last eight regular-season games and has yet to lose in April.

In the playoffs, the team’s records no longer matter, and though the Knicks still have home-court advantage, the 76ers are on roughly even terms with the team now that Embiid has returned. The series, which begins this weekend, could come down to New York’s ability to defend the versatile center, something Miami and many other teams have already tried and failed to do.

Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was ejected Wednesday night after striking Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley and earning a flagrant foul. The ejection did not prove too impactful as Detroit limped home to a 129-111 loss, their 21st straight this season.

Stewart fouled Beverley in the third quarter when he was defending and seemed to unintentionally drive the guard to the ground. Officials reviewed the play and ruled that it required a two-call foul, resulting in an immediate ejection. But while Stewart’s absence hurt Detroit, the team was already trailing and did not make a compelling comeback bid thereafter.

With the latest loss to the Sixers, the Pistons extended their losing streak to 21 games. They have not won since October 28 and are now tied with the 1979-80 and 1980-81 Pistons for the eighth-longest losing streak in NBA history. The all-time record in 28.

To say that the Pistons have been historically bad this season would not be an exaggeration, as the team currently holds a 2-22 record. Somewhat humorously, this means that they began the season with a 2-1 record. Detroit has effectively been eliminated from playoff contention for weeks and the postseason is still months away. Though the team is young and it was often predicted that players would go through growing pains, incompetency of this caliber is impossible to forecast.

“I don’t want anyone to be happy in this situation,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said after the game Wednesday. “I want to see an ornery locker room that’s tired — not just of losing, but tired of missing shots and tired of giving up 39-point quarters.”

Over time, the Pistons could eventually build an effective system around the likes of young stars Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson. But the 2023-24 season will likely be one to forget as the team tries to find its identity in the cellar of the Eastern Conference.

When the Philadelphia 76ers won Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup against the Boston Celtics without Joel Embiid, many were caught off guard by the upset. But what could have been a statement win in the series turned out to be little more than a wake-up call, as the Celtics emerged in Game 2 Wednesday night and put away the Sixers early, winning 121-87.

Understanding how Philadelphia won Game 1 begins and ends with James Harden, who scored 45 points in Embiid’s injury-related absence to propel the team to a 119-115 victory. The Celtics didn’t necessarily play poorly in the contest, but Harden simply seemed to turn back the clock and stole the game from the perimeter. It’s a good way to win a single contest, but it’s not a sustainable strategy for a series.

Even with Embiid back on the floor in Game 2, the Sixers as a unit appeared dull while the Celtics went on to have a typical night, including a 35-point third quarter which effectively ended the game. Embiid, possibly still easing back into play, scored a meager 15 points while Harden only scored 12. The guard didn’t make a single three-pointer after shooting 50% on 14 shots from beyond the arc in Game 1.

The offense around the two suffered in turn — Tyrese Maxey’s points total was halved from 26 in Game 1 to 13 in Game 2. De’Anthony Milton was a non-factor off the bench after scoring 17 points in the team’s earlier victory.

Comparing the offenses of the Sixers and Celtics is like comparing the styles of a knockout boxer and ring tactician. The Sixers’ offense runs through two players, Embiid and Harden, and one could even argue that the recently crowned MVP takes sole control more often than not. If a team manages to contain the pair, as the Celtics did Wednesday night, it becomes very difficult for Philadelphia to produce.

The Celtics, on the other hand, never rely on a single scorer, with at least six players having the ability to make a difference on any given night. In Game 1, Jayson Tatum was the focal point with 39 points, but when he appeared limited by an injury in Game 2, the team’s production didn’t suffer at all. Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 48 points and none of the team’s starters had to play more than 30 minutes in the blowout.

Boston’s statement in Game 2 was clear and momentum has firmly swung back in the team’s direction early on in the series, but Philadelphia still has winning chances. Just like in Game 1, one of the team’s two stars will simply have to play at an incredible level to defeat the best team left in the playoffs. Embiid is sure to improve over the course of the series as he gradually returns to full-time action, and Harden simply has to make the same shots he made in Game 1.

With the Celtics in a seemingly unstoppable groove on offense, the only way for the Sixers to win is by meeting the challenge head-on. Anything short of perfection will likely yield similarly poor results,

Can Los Angeles handle yet another star?

The Lakers are reportedly considering making a move to bring the Philadelphia 76ers‘ Ben Simmons to LA. Simmons is a three-time All-Star point guard and he was the NBA’s defensive player of the year runner-up last season. While he is a great defensive player, there’s some left to be desired in his shooting abilities.

Simmons is in the second year of a five-year $177.2 million contract with the 76ers. He is currently sitting out in hopes of forcing a trade. He has made it clear that he wants out of Philadelphia. The 76ers are currently sitting at 15-12.

It would take a lot for the Lakers to be able to bring Simmons to California.

“The framework of any direct Lakers transaction would most likely involve sending out the $44.2 million contract of new point guard Russell Westbrook,” Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors said. “Long Beach native who played at UCLA in college, Westbrook’s frustrating late-game decision-making, poor defense and broken jumper have at times limited his efficacy in L.A. The switchable Simmons could at least help with the defensive component of that issue, and would presumably be more comfortable taking an off-ball role next to All-Star Lakers forward LeBron James.”

The Lakers aren’t the only team who is interested in Simmons. It has been reported that teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers are also interested. This gives Darryl Morey, the president of the 76ers, more leverage if he were able to make a deal with the Lakers. With interest from other teams, the Lakers may now have to deal a draft pick in addition to Westbrook to get Simmons. With a price like that, a third team may have to get involved to realistically make the trade benefit all parties.

The Lakers don’t have much to lose. After starting their season 15-13 despite high expectations, they may be willing to make some sacrifices if Simmons can be the spark they’re looking for to get back on track.

Ben Simmons wants to be traded by the Philadelphia 76ers and is willing to sit on the sidelines for a year to make it happen. The 76ers have heard his wish but are not willing to give him up unless a better deal comes across their desk.

The Sixers gave rise to Simmons’ career in the NBA after they picked him first overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. The 25-year-old, originally from a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, played for LSU for only one season before declaring for the Draft.

After four successful seasons with the Sixers as a power forward, Simmons no longer wants to play for the franchise. He credits the fact that he and Joel Embiid, his superstar teammate, do not jive offensively on the court. He believes he would find greater success with a different offensive setup.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers comment on the situation. “Ben’s not here but I do believe at some point he will be,” he said. “This is not the first time guys didn’t think they could play together. It’s just basketball.”

Simmons believes a trade would better his career, however, his unwavering stance could be financially problematic. If he does not play this season, the Sixers reserve the right to withhold his salary. He has contractual obligations with Philadelphia for the next four years. The upcoming season alone would earn him $33 million if he decides to play. Although Simmons seems set in his decision, it just seems that this is too incredible of a sum to forfeit. We will see in the next couple of weeks how this plays out — the Sixers will be playing their first regular-season game against the Pelicans. 

Simmons is a three-time NBA All-Star. Over the entirety of his career, he has averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. 

The 76ers are facing an identity crisis after losing their fourth straight game falling to Milwaukee 112-102 Thursday night. A few days ago point guard Ben Simmons said, “We were soft” after being asked about the team’s physicality in Monday’s loss to the Heat and their third straight on the road.

“Don’t get bullied, fight over screens, get through screens,” Simmons said Monday. “You’ve gotta knock somebody, knock ‘em over. You’ve gotta hit somebody in the face and knock ‘em down, make sure they don’t score, hit ‘em in the face. I think we were too robotic. We were just playing to play. We weren’t taking shots that were open, turning down a lot of things that we saw out there.… I don’t know what it was individually, but I just felt it was more focused on what we were running instead of just playing.”

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On Wednesday Sixers’ power forward Al Horford told reporters, “There is some stuff going on in our locker room, and we’ll keep that internal. But we all know we need to be better and we need to step it up.” Problems continued Thursday as the Sixers were outscored in three straight quarters and once again Horford was interviewed in the locker room postgame.

“I think it puts a lot of things in perspective,” Horford said. “And desperation. We lost four in a row now. It’s like finding ourselves. Trying to figure it out. I think good is going to come out of this.”

Milwaukee held a double digit lead for the first three quarters but the Sixers battled back to stay close in the fourth quarter. Joel Embiid had an exceptional all-around game with 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists but shot just 6-26 from the field while wearing a protective wrap on his left hand.

“I’m trying to get back to the fun Joel,” Embiid told ESPN. “Smile a little more. The whole season I told myself I was going to be serious. I felt like everyone looked at [me] in a way that I’m moody or I might not care. I do. I want to win. But at the same time, I try to have a different attitude. Obviously, it hasn’t been working. Gotta go back to that fun Joel, fun personality. [But] still locked in. Try to help us any way I can.”

Philadelphia is now 9-19 on the road and sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Joel Embiid got the crowd going during the 76ers 97-92 victory over the Nuggets at home on Tuesday. After getting fouled, Embiid fell forward and made a no-look finger roll with his back to the basket. Feeling himself, he strolled over to near center court and gave a little “shimmy” as he egged on the crowd.

Embiid has been known to have a big personality with various ways of celebrating that get the fans pumped up. Prior to Tuesday’s game, Embiid’s outgoing personality had been somewhat quiet this season. When asked about it Embiid responded in a serious tone, “I haven’t done it enough all season. I have not been having fun like usually. just mainly because I am still trying to figure it out, make it work and all that stuff.”

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

The Cameroonian-born center finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes. With 15.3 seconds remaining Embiid hit two clutch free throws to put the Sixers up by five. Tobias Harris chipped in with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Sixers have now won three straight and are 13-0 at home.

Embiid’s numbers have taken a dip since last year when he averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 blocks per game, but Philly is also working new players into their lineup after adding starters Josh Richardson and Al Horford in the offseason.

“It goes back with me being mature and one of the biggest parts of my game is having fun and by having fun means talking trash, but that part has kind of been cut so I just need to be myself and I guess do whatever I want. Because when I am having fun, I dominate. But this year, I don’t know, I could probably count on one hand how many times I have done it,” Embiid said.

After the game on Inside the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t shy about his opinion of Embiid. “We’re telling you, ‘You can be great. You ain’t playing hard enough.’ Twenty-two ain’t enough to get you to the next level. Do you want to be great or do you want to be good? If you want to be good, keep doing 22 points. You want to be great, give me 28, give me 30. You want to be great, watch Giannis — he wants to be great.”

Denver, on the other hand, is trying to figure out their best rotation. With last year’s draft pick, Michael Porter Jr. finally healthy the Nuggets are trying to figure out his role. Tuesday, their swingman Will Barton lead the team with 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. His contribution wasn’t enough to win, however, following the loss of starting point guard Jamal Murray to injury. Murray left the game with seven minutes left in the first quarter after colliding with Ben Simmons. Nikola Jokic had a nice all around game with 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, but he needs to do more for this team consistently.

The Nuggets have now lost three straight and five of their last six.

Joel Embiid was held scoreless on Monday night as the Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Toronto Raptors 101-96.

Meanwhile, Marc Gasol proved once again that even at age 34, he’s still one of the best big men in the league. Gasol was able to give Embiid problems all night long. In the 32 minutes Embiid played, the All-Star center went 0-11 from the field and 0-3 from the free-throw line — a very uncharacteristic game for the 76ers top gun, who averages 21 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game through 13 contests this season. Gasol has had success against Embiid mainly because of size and length. On most nights, the Cameroonian-born star has a a size advantage against centers in the league and he’s the closest thing to Shaq in his prime that fans have seen in 15 years. It was a different story last night, however, when he was up against a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Could Embiid’s off night have something to do with Drake sitting court-side?  The chart-topping artist and official global ambassador for the Raptors has been known to chirp at opposing teams’ star players and had to be separated from Warriors forward Draymond Green following an NBA Finals game in Toronto last June. Drake was seen last night applauding sarcastically and saying something to Embiid, who was standing near the scorer’s table.

While Drake was yelling on the sideline, Gasol was making things tough for Embiid with his size and length. Gasol constantly forced Embiid to shoot mid-range jumpers and didn’t let him get the ball deep in the post. This shouldn’t come as a shock to fans who watched last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals against Toronto, when Embiid’s conditioning came into question. There were games where he had stomach problems and was even seen eating a burger pre-game during the regular season. The Sixers star delivered a sub-par performance in the six-game series against Toronto, averaging only 17.6 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game, way below his regular season averages of 27.5 points per game and 13.6 rebounds per game.

Embiid claimed he wasn’t tired Monday night, however.

“I can’t have this type of production. I would have never thought I would be here talking about zero points in an NBA game, but it is what it is,” Embiid told reporters after the game. “Some nights you make shots, some nights you don’t. Some nights you’re hot, some nights you’re cold.”

The Sixers’ front office has praised Embiid’s conditioning regimen this past offseason. Now, we’ll just have to see how his body holds up going forward and into the playoffs.

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Markelle Fultz has a problem. We already know this, as he missed most of his rookie season with a mysterious “shoulder injury.” He even worked with trainer Drew Hanlen all summer to rebuild the shot that made him the No. 1 overall pick. Three weeks after the two stopped talking, Fultz took this shot, however.

76ers’ Fultz Struggles With Shooting Form

After getting fouled on a drive by Justise Winslow, Fultz was sent to the line for two shots. He swished the first one. The second might not have even been a shot. He double-clutched it.

After the game, Fultz said, “it happens.”

“The ball slipped out of my hand, so I had to do what I had to do,” Fultz added. “I had to do what I had to do, but I’m not really worried about it. I have to work on my game. The ball just happened to slip, that’s what happened.”

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Fultz was out of the game in the second half, replaced with a rookie picked 25 spots below him. When he was on the court, Philidelphia was outscored by seven points in 25 minutes. When he was off it, Philly outscored Miami by 17.

The 76ers are simply a better team without Fultz. And that’s before adding Jimmy Butler into the mix. It’s hard to believe Fultz isn’t worried. He hasn’t attempted a three-point shot in his last seven games. Besides that, his free-throw percentage dropped to 57%. Dwight Howard, the guy who teams would foul rather than have him shoot, has a career free-throw average of 56.7%.

Sam Hinkie‘s process is officially over with Robert Covington and Dario Saric being shipped out. Philidelphia won’t wait for Fultz to rebuild himself. Butler will demolish him, just like he did with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. When he’s on the court without Ben Simmons, Fultz averages 5 more points, 2 more assists, and shoots 5% better. On threes, he shoots 26% better. He’s not a bad player, he’s no Jahlil Okafor. But he doesn’t work for the Sixers and they’re most likely moving Fultz. The only question is if his yips will tag along.