The Philadelphia 76ers, currently off to a rough 2-10 start, are set to face the Miami Heat on Monday night. Philadelphia has made seven straight playoff appearances but hasn’t reached the conference finals since 2001. This season was expected to be different with the signing of nine-time All-Star Paul George in July, forming a “Big Three” with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
However, Embiid has had a slow start due to a left knee issue and a three-game NBA suspension for shoving a reporter during a locker-room confrontation. In his two games this season, Embiid is averaging just 16.5 points, a stark contrast to his 34.7 points per game last season. His rebounds have dropped from 11.0 to 5.5, and his shooting percentage has plummeted from 52.9 to 26.9.
Maxey has missed the past five games with a right hamstring injury.
George, 34, has played in only half of Philadelphia’s 12 games, with his numbers also down from last season. His scoring has decreased from 22.6 to 16.5 points, his shooting from 47.1 to 39.8 percent, and his three-point percentage from 41.3 to 31.1 percent.
With George and Embiid struggling and Maxey sidelined, the 76ers managed only 86 points in a 98-86 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday. Two former Heat players, Kyle Lowry (four points) and Caleb Martin (three points), started for Philadelphia in that game.
One bright spot for the 76ers has been rookie guard Jared McCain, averaging 28.3 points over his past four games. The first-round pick (16th overall) out of Duke has been impressive, shooting 40.3 percent from three-point range, 53.5 percent from the floor, and a perfect 27-for-27 from the free-throw line in 12 games.
Meanwhile, the Heat have had their own struggles, particularly at home, where they hold a 1-3 record. They completed a six-game road trip on Sunday with a 119-110 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Miami received 28 points from Tyler Herro, 24 from Bam Adebayo, and 20 from Duncan Robinson but were outscored in the paint 62-28.
The Heat went 2-4 on the road trip, missing star Jimmy Butler for the last four games due to a sprained right ankle. Additionally, reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr. sprained his right ankle on Sunday and is likely to miss some time.
The 76ers share that sentiment.
