The Philadelphia 76ers can't catch a break. They have been snakebitten with injuries all season, and even when mostly healthy, they have struggled to find semblances of success. That has led to plenty of ugly losses, including the most recent game against the Toronto Raptors. Even with superstar Joel Embiid in the lineup, they came up short against a struggling Raptors team.
EMBIID WITH A CRUCIAL TURNOVER 😭
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 12, 2025
Raptors steal the W in Philly 👀 pic.twitter.com/rZvbu8E8Ys
In a season full of bad losses for the Sixers, that one has to be right up near the top.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 12, 2025
Embiid passed up a game-winning three-pointer only to turn the ball over and watch helplessly as the Raptors got fouled going the other way in the fast break to seal the win. That loss pushes them to 10th in the Eastern Conference and could force them to reassess their goals for the season. After all, they have played 50 games and don't look anything like a contender.
How are the Sixers worse with their main guys in the lineup? This team makes no sense.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) February 12, 2025
Meanwhile, they are much closer to being a team with a high lottery pick. That pick is tempting considering that if they finish with one of the six worst records in the NBA, then they keep that pick out of the Oklahoma City Thunder's hands and give themselves a chance to draft a future star in a loaded 2025 NBA draft.
The Philadelphia 76ers seriously consider shutting down Joel Embiid for the season.
Normally, punting on a season when a team was projected to be a contender would seem to be like giving up. Nevertheless, the Sixers would be wise to at least consider the possibility of taking their foot off the pedal and taking a loss this season.
One reason being that Embiid needs off-season surgery, and were he to opt to have the surgery shortly after the All-Star break, he could get a jump on his rehab. That would help the Sixers in a couple of ways. One being that the Sixers would increase their chances of getting a top five pick.
The other would be that it would hopefully result in a healthy Embiid, which I realize may sound like a double negative at this point. Philadelphia just isn't going to make any noise this season, and with him over the age of 30 and experiencing chronic swelling, they should be cautious with him going forward, possibly even considering trading him.
They should also look to the future and try to simultaneously build around Tyrese Maxey going forward. They already have Jared McCain, who was the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year before being lost for the season.
Adding a top-five pick to those two players would give the Sixers the best chance to win long-term. It could also help them next season, giving them a potential rotation player with high upside who could grow into a bigger role. With the Sixers already struggling, they wouldn't have much to lose by going this route. Therefore, they should be looking to the future by considering shutting Embiid down for the season.