It just hasn't been the Philadelphia 76ers season. They are just 8-16, have dealt with injury after injury, and have an uphill battle to making the playoffs. With rookie sensation Jared McCain out indefinitely with a meniscus tear, which often takes at least 6 weeks to heal, and superstar Joel Embiid suffering yet another injury, at some point the Sixers may be forced to make a tough decision.
The top of the Eastern Conference is looking increasingly stacked with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and even the surging Milwaukee Bucks, possibly resulting in the Sixers eventually deciding to punt on the season.
Doing so could allow them to keep their top six protected 2025 first-round pick, which is currently owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 2025 NBA draft is considered to be one of the deepest drafts in recent years, and it stands to reason that they could find a great long-term piece if they were somehow able to keep that pick.
It may not help them win more games next season, but having a top prospect to pair with Tyrese Maxey and even McCain long-term isn't an unreasonable option. Of course, they would be punting on a year of Embiid's prime, and at 30 years old, he doesn't have many of those years left.
Should the Philadelphia 76ers give up on their season?
The Sixers snuck into last year's playoffs as the 7th seed but lost in six games to the Knicks. The Sixers are better now than they were a year ago when fully healthy, but there's no guarantee that they will be fully healthy if they were to make the playoffs this season.
Not to mention that the Knicks are far better than they were a year ago as well. Philadelphia also probably wouldn't stand a chance against the Cavaliers or Celtics and maybe even the Bucks, meaning that even if they were to make the playoffs, they probably wouldn't go past the first round.
Throwing in the towel now isn't what I'm recommending, but the Sixers have shown an inability to stay healthy, as evident by Embiid, who is set to miss time with a sinus fracture, and McCain tearing his meniscus in the same game recently.
The Sixers' awful injury luck could ultimately be a good thing for them.
If that awful injury luck continues, then they may not make much headway in the standings with teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Detroit Pistons all better than expected. Especially with Embiid in and out of the lineup and still expected to miss at least one game of all of their back-to-back games this season.
That's not to mention that fellow star Paul George has often struggled to stay healthy too. If the Sixers can't mount a playoff push, them being bad enough to keep their pick in this year's draft would be the best possible outcome.
Doing so could help them to further build around Embiid in the short term while having a core of young players, including Maxey and McCain, to build around in the long term.