Philadelphia has the league's champions doubles, and they are complemented by several big-name players, but their performance this season has not been satisfactory, both on and off the court. So can trading solve the problem of 76ers? Or do they need more drastic changes?
The 76ers have a lot of problems right now, with Ben Simon's desire to shoot too low, Joel Embiid's health difficult to guarantee, the team's lack of mid-range scoring points and high-quality shooters, sluggish bench performances, and poor team chemistry. The team's current record of 34 wins and 21 losses is fifth in the East, which shows that embiid and Simmons duo have some strength, but the 76ers now look like they are in a promising but suffering season, and the idea of building a team is full of loopholes.
General manager Elton Brand's first step was to find more shooters in the free market, but the 76ers have limited salary space and fringe players have not been able to break the Philadelphia crisis. The trickier problem is that Simmons returned to the old state of negative projection after shooting two three-pointers at the beginning of the season, which is deeply regrettable.
In addition, the 76ers lack an organizer or blocker who can interfere with and disrupt the defense. For now, no one can replace Jimmy Butler's role in the team, nor is there any X-factor hope like Markle Fultz. Some argue that Philadelphia should pursue Chris Paul, and once he arrives in Philadelphia, the 76ers will immediately become the Bucks' number one rival in the East, but will the Thunder really agree to the deal? Trading Paul could wipe out the advantages they've accumulated. Such discussions also become meaningless after the closing date of the deal.
The 76ers will have to rely on their existing roster because they didn't complete the big operation before the trade deadline. The success of the Philadelphia offensive end had to rely on. Embiid's scoring efficiency when singles, passing effect when pinched. Old-fashioned center back-to-back offensive techniques are rare today, but Embiid used it best during the regular season. Embiid is a "beast" who dares to be tough, and in the first three seasons, he has made fouls in the box ahead of the league, but Embiid's power of back-to-back singles has not been tested in the playoffs.
Overall, Philadelphia needs to combine a lot of factors — Simmons and Embiid need to be efficient, teammates need to shoot more goals, and the defensive intensity must be consistent. If the construction idea centered on Embiid and Simmons fails, the 76ers may realize that breaking up the two emperors is the best solution.
In addition, if the playoffs are not ideal, the 76ers will definitely make a fuss about the coaching staff. Before the resignation of team operations president Brian Colangelo in 2018, word spread across the league that he planned to fire Brett Brown, and his preferred replacement was Villanova University head coach Jay White. While Brown eventually stayed in Philadelphia, people familiar with the matter said the players didn't have a good relationship with Brown in the locker room.
Regardless of whether the 76ers succeed this season, many conundrums will accompany them. If they can achieve something considerable in the playoffs, it is undeniable that their fundamental shortcomings will not be reduced. There's no doubt embiid and Simmons aren't the most compatible duo, but for now, they need to rely on each other to win the title.
