There are fewer than ten games left in the regular season, and one thing’s for sure. The Philadelphia 76ers will not have a postseason. And this has come as a surprise to no one considering the season they’ve had. But even though he’s not surprised, head coach Nick Nurse is still disappointed.
The Sixers had great hopes for this season. They cashed in all their chips on Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey after giving them huge contracts in the summer of 2024. But a longstanding knee injury has ruled out Embiid, and now there are fears that he will never play again. Similarly, Paul George is out for the season due to a devastating adductor injury. Whereas, Maxey is also currently out with an injury to his finger.
And tonight, after a crushing 95-118 loss to the Miami Heat, Nick Nurse lamented the misfortune that has befallen his team. “Well, I mean, obviously, it’s not anywhere near where we had hoped it would be when we set out this summer… the only thing you can say is it was, you know, super struggle. Right?” You can’t help but feel for the Sixers’ head coach.
Embiid, George, and Maxey’s latest deals come in at $192 million, $211.5 million, and $203 million, respectively—a jaw-dropping $606.5 million investment. That’s a hefty price tag, right? The Sixers bet big to keep their stars in the City of Brotherly Love for years to come, but so far, that gamble has backfired—especially with PG. Handing a four-year deal to a 34-year-old veteran was always a risk, and with injuries piling up, it’s turning into a nightmare. Add in Embiid’s own health struggles, and it’s no surprise Nick Nurse is feeling the frustration.
But Nurse wasn’t done. He also bemoaned the fact that injuries were a constant theme of this season for the Sixers.
“It just didn’t seem like the injury bug would ever ever leave us.It just seemed like every time we’d have a good game and get a win or something that it cost us a player or two for the next one, and we could never just really build any momentum. So, obviously, super, super disappointing,” said the Sixers’ head coach.
And Nurse is not wrong. The Sixers dealt with several injuries to their squad throughout the season. This forced Maxey and Embiid to put the team on their backs when they shouldn’t have. Why? Well, the star duo themselves had to play through injuries to do it. And that came back to bite them. Especially Embiid, who looked like a shadow of his 2023 MVP self before the Sixers shut down for the rest of the season.
Despite all this, Nick Nurse has a plan for the remaining regular-season games. One that may give Philly fans some hope for the next season.
Nick Nurse reveals his plan to develop the young stars on the Sixers’ roster
The multitude of injuries to their key players this season meant the Sixers heavily relied on their youngsters. Now, while this isn’t ideal for their short-term success, it will pay off in the long run. At least that’s what Nick Nurse is hoping for as he revealed his plan for the remainder of the season to us at the same post-game press conference following the Miami Heat loss.
“I think again, you look at, like, Justin keep playing him heavy minutes and getting him experience…you gotta you gotta at least develop and build some of these young guys, right, as much as as much as you possibly can. Ricky Council, you know, keep more looks at Lonnie now that he’s back. Keep seeing what Quentin’s got. The whole list needs to kinda keep keep fighting and playing, and we just gotta keep trying to make them better,” said Nurse, about his plans for the coming games.
Nov 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse reacts against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
After all, the Sixers’ season as far as the title goes is over. So why not use the remaining few games to get some experience for someone like Justin Edwards, who’s only 21? Or even get some minutes under Ricky Council IV’s belt. He only has 9 starts despite appearing in 64 games this season! The man could certainly do with some more minutes.
At the end of the day, all Nick Nurse is trying to do is salvage a horrible situation for the Philadelphia. And who knows? Maybe this time his gamble, namely playing the young players on the Philly foster, will actually pay off.
The post 76ers’ $606.5M Plan Ruined as Nick Nurse Makes Disappointing Admission After Crashing Out of NBA Playoffs Race appeared first on EssentiallySports.
