The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off their worst season since finishing with a 10-72 record in the 2015-16 campaign.
However, the team dealt with a litany of injuries to key contributors en route to a 24-58 record in 2024-25. Former MVP Joel Embiid played in only 19 regular-season outings due largely to a lingering left knee injury. Additionally, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all combined to appear in a total of just 112 games.
The Sixers will look to rebound from their disastrous 2024-25 season, though it’s difficult to envision the team remaining fully healthy and competing with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers in a relatively wide-open East. Philadelphia does possess a solid mix of youth and veterans, but how head coach Nick Nurse balances that blend will be crucial for the team’s short- and long-term success.
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Nick Nurse could be on hot seat if ‘same mistake’ is made
Following their lackluster season, the 76ers landed the No. 3 overall pick and selected Baylor standout V.J. Edgecombe. They also have 2024 first-round pick Jared McCain, who is expected to return for the 2025-26 regular season after suffering a season-ending torn meniscus last year.
Nicolas Kyle Pring of The Sixer Sense believes the team needs to play its young players, adding that the organization should waste no time in firing Nurse if he resorts to playing his veterans too much.
“To cut to the chase, the 76ers have a handful of veterans who are already on their last wind in the league, yet for some reason, Nurse has embraced them as part of the regular rotation,” he wrote. “That simply cannot happen next season. Between Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry, Nurse will have a lot of temptation to resort to any of those players in a pinch.”
The 76ers are still trying to build toward the future with Maxey, Edgecombe and McCain. Failing to develop Edgecombe and McCain could prove to be an immense failure for the team’s long-term outlook.
Lowry is entering his age-39 season, and there is simply no reason why he should receive meaningful playing time when McCain is healthy. Lowry dealt with a hip issue and played in just 35 regular-season games last year, averaging career lows in points (3.9), assists (2.7) and rebounds (1.9) across 18.8 minutes per game.
On the wing, Gordon is coming off the worst season of his career and appeared in only 39 games in 2024-25 due to injury. Edgecombe has the potential to become a star player on both ends of the floor, and helping him reach that potential should be a top priority for Nurse next season.
If the 76ers struggle and Nurse fails to properly develop their young weapons, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land on the hot seat.
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