Why the Sixers’ Slow Start Might Be a Blessing in Disguise

The Philadelphia 76ers have stumbled out of the gates for the 2024-2025 season with a 2-7 record, their worst start since Joel Embiid’s rookie year. With the offseason addition of Paul George, this sluggish start is far from what fans envisioned. In the grand scheme, this early adversity may be exactly what the Sixers needed. 

Depth is king in the NBA, and championship aspirations hinge on a reliable bench. The Sixers’ slow start has inadvertently provided a silver lining: a chance to evaluate their depth and develop players in complementary roles.

Guerschon Yabusele’s return to the NBA has been one of the most unexpected and exciting stories of the Sixers’ season so far. The return to the NBA started this summer for the former first-round pick when he dunked on the King James crown during the gold medal game at the Olympics in Paris. 

After a two-year stint with the Celtics (2018-2019) and five years overseas, Yabusele has returned as a different player. From shooting a measly 32% on a little under 1 attempt a game in his previous NBA stint, he is now shooting 43% on 4 attempts a game so far with the Sixers. He has been a bright spot for a Philadelphia team that has had a slow start to the season. 

Forced into an unorthodox backup center role in Joel Embiid’s absence, Yabusele has thrived as an effective pick-and-roll partner and floor spacer. His 6’8″, 260-pound frame provides toughness and versatility that the Sixers have sorely lacked in the past. Guerschon’s ability and willingness to relocate have provided space for his teammates to operate and plenty of opportunity for them to find him as well. 

For all the praise, the truth is, it’s going to be wonderful seeing him in his natural position. When Embiid returns, Yabusele can shift to Power Forward, where his high motor, physicality, and ability to complement the MVP’s game will shine. Helping Embiid on short roll opportunities, boxing out to create easy rebounds that turn into fast break points, using his big frame on the weak side block while Embiid runs the actions through the elbow, and setting high big/big ball screens. 

Yabusele will be exciting to watch going forward how shots open up for him with Embiids return turn and eventually Tyrese Maxey’s return in the future, and vice versa, how he will be able to space the floor and give them and Paul George more room to operate when the team is all playing together. I think important things to pay attention to with Joel Embiid’s return tonight will be how other teams defend him. He’s been guarded primarily by centers this season and has still been able to use his frame and body up in the post, so with bigger defenders now having to guard, Joel Guerschon will have much weaker matchups that he can take advantage of.

The flamethrower Jared McCain has seized his opportunity following Tyrese Maxey’s injury, scoring a combined 45 points over the last two while coming off the bench in both games. Known for his elite shooting, McCain has shown he’s more than just a sniper. His ability to hit them on the run off the catch, create threes off the dribble, and shoot with no dip is shooting maturity far beyond his years. 

However, the thing that makes McCain so special is his heart. The 6’3 undersized guard was playing great team defense, making the right rotations, and even hitting the floor for a loose ball in the Sixers second win over the Hornets this Sunday. Late in the game, he was tasked with guarding the Hornets buzzing Superstar LaMelo Ball, and he stood the task. Obviously, the best players are going to hit shots, and LaMelo sure did, including an absolutely insane shot to send the game to overtime, but they were difficult shots, and he was making it a lot harder than it could’ve been.

With no Paul George in overtime for the Sixers as he still remains on a minutes restriction from the bone bruise in his left knee that held him out the first five games of the Sixers season, Jared McCain was asked to create something out of nothing on several possessions in crunch time tonight, and he delivered. 

The injuries obviously contribute to him getting minutes, as he only played 11.1 minutes per game prior to the Tyrese Maxey injury and has played 30.7 a game in the two games since, but the fact that the team is choosing to turn to him in a close game when even this early in the season we need a win is no small gesture; it speaks volumes about the team’s belief in McCain. He is a confident shotmaker, diving after loose balls, fighting defensively, moving constantly, and most importantly, being himself; he’s playing free; his motor goes constantly; he’s everything Philly begs for in a player.

McCain being able to get these on-ball touches early in the season will end up helping the 76ers in the long run. Having another confident decision maker with on-ball reps running the offense is always amazing, and with Kyle Lowry starting to show his age by the end of the year and coming time for the playoffs, McCain’s youthful energy and unreal shooting touch will be much needed. Surrounding Joel Embiid with movement shooters is a basketball fantasy that is realizing itself faster than we may realize.

The gravity Joel will provide with his return will do similar things for McCain that we have seen it do for Maxey in the past. McCain has shown he is comfortable operating the pick and roll with Yabusele and Drummond so far this season, so him getting to have the most dominant big man in the NBA will make things much easier. It will be interesting to watch how he can spread the floor with Paul George and Joel Embiid playing.

I would watch to see what Nick Nurse and the 76ers coaching staff ends up asking of McCain with Paul George and Joel still working their ways back to full strength and Maxey out for multiple weeks with no clear timetable. McCain being asked to step up and create offense could pay dividends in the long run when his role is reduced and instead of running the offense he is standing in the offense and running dribble handoffs with Joel Embiid, much more similar to JJ Reddick’s role when he was on the sixers than Tyrese Maxeys a minimized role where he still can have a heavy impact. When Tyrese Maxey does return, it will be important to see if he and McCain can play together. Both guards are on the smaller end, but with the other long defensive wings on our team, we may be able to cover up for their lack of size with well-timed defensive rotations and not overhelp.

Paul George’s start in a Sixers uniform has been underwhelming, but context matters. George has been playing on limited minutes due to his left knee bruise, which had held him out five games, which meant less opportunity to find sustained flow. Nick Nurse said pregame George had recently discussed that challenge with him. On Sunday, the Sixers’ head coach played George nearly 10 straight minutes to begin the night.

It isn’t going to happen all at once, but Paul George is getting back to playing basketball and getting adjusted to a new system all at once. The Tyrese Maxey injury may end up benefiting Paul George by allowing him to get time as the lone star for the Sixers during back-to-backs. Joel Embiid assured us before the first game of the season he won’t be playing. In a similar way to how Maxey gained confidence and became more comfortable as the lone star in Nick Nurse’s offense last season before minimizing his role for the playoffs during Joel Embiid’s return, George can do something similar. Getting to play freely with Nick Nurse focusing on him and how he fits into our offense will make us a more complex team. When he scales his role down alongside Joel and Maxey, he will be able to provide the third scoring punch we need without disrupting the offense.

Joel Embiid is the hub of the Sixers offense, running it from the elbow, which is a common theme around the NBA now with guys like Jokic, Zubac, Wembanyama, Sabonis, and more all initiating their teams offenses from the  elbow. As the centerpiece of the Sixers’ offense, his gravity from the elbow unlocks opportunities for teammates, whether through dribble handoffs, screens, or sheer scoring dominance.

The timing of Embiid’s comeback is poetic, as the Sixers face the Knicks—a team that ousted them in the first round of last year’s playoffs. New York’s offseason additions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns will make this a marquee matchup, but Embiid has historically thrived against Towns, who is allowing opponents to shoot 32/35 (91.4%) in the restricted area so far this season could spell trouble for the Knicks.

With the Sixers debuting in the NBA Cup, this game could serve as the turning point for a team looking to reclaim its identity.

As injured players return and roles solidify, the team’s depth and versatility will become their greatest strengths. Watching how Nick Nurse balances the development of young talent like McCain with new additions like Yabusele, George, and Caleb Martin with reintegrating stars like Embiid and Maxey will be fascinating.

If Philadelphia can weather the early storm, their struggles might ultimately forge the resilience they need for a deep playoff run.

(feature image from allphly.com : Wendell Cruz – USA TODAY Sports)

Taurean Jewett II is a second year English major at Holy Family University. They work on the Folio team and they are Vice President of Writers’ Bloc. Their interests include poetry, fashion & music.