The rise makes you comfortable, the fall makes you smell the reality. From 2020-21 until 22/23, the Philadelphia Sixers were ruling the east, being 1st, 4th, and 3rd seed in 3 consecutive seasons, and then managed to hold themselves at 7th in 23/24. But then hit a rod this time. That’s how most NBA rebuilds slip. A losing season here. A quiet trade there. Deja vu, that’s how it started in Philly back in 2013, too. Just a draft-night deal flipping Jrue Holiday for a rookie big man named Nerlens Noel. Harmless, right? By season’s end, then, they were tied for the worst losing streak in NBA history and knee-deep in “The Process.” But the Big Three of now might face a similar fate this time, and Lonzo Ball has a word of caution.
Last year’s Sixers weren’t supposed to bottom out. Joel Embiid was back. They added Paul George. Tyrese Maxey looked ready to take that All-Star leap. But then reality rolled in fast: Joel Embiid missed most of the season, PG’s body gave up again, and that “Big Three” shared the court for just 15 games. What followed was a brutal 24–58 record and not even a whiff of the play-in. And now? The offseason hasn’t been kind either. George is rehabbing yet again. The role players are being shuffled. And out of nowhere, Lonzo Ball is the one dropping the truth bomb.
In a YouTube video by @TheWAEShow, Lonzo Ball didn’t mince words when asked if the Sixers should keep trying with Embiid and George or finally pull the plug. “Rebuild,” he said, before adding, “That’s unfortunate, man.” The reactions felt less like hot take theatrics and more like a sigh of someone who’s seen enough. And honestly? Can you blame him? With Embiid recovering from a second left-knee procedure and George going under the knife just last week for an arthroscopic cleanup of his own knee, it’s hard to picture this duo leading a deep playoff run.
Another analyst, Anthony Salazar, bluntly quoted, “I think they got some good young talent there they could build around,” hinting it is hard to see all of them together and might need to groom and step up again. “You got to rebuild,” Donatas Motiejūnas aka DMO, next, added, being on the panel. “Like at this point… they do have some young talent there to start off with, but that’s unfortunate for PG though, ’cause I want to see him have a comeback year this year.” George’s July surgery was already his second lower-body procedure in 16 months, following a season where he managed only 41 games. Their combined health issues meant the Sixers’ three main stars barely played together, derailing any chemistry before it even had a shot.
Lonzo Ball of Chicago Bulls against Boston Celtics
The stats don’t sugarcoat anything. Embiid logged just 19 games last season while battling chronic swelling and undergoing another knee surgery in April. Add in the fact that Embiid’s playoff availability has always been shaky, and the case for a rebuild isn’t just emotional – it’s logical. Lonzo’s words sting because they make sense: What are you building if the bricks keep crumbling?
Of course, no team gives up on a reigning MVP lightly. Joel Embiid is still the face of the franchise. George signed on with the hope of winning. But Philadelphia’s blueprint is fading fast. The fanbase can feel it. Even outsiders like Lonzo can see it. And if this team does decide to finally pivot, it won’t be a collapse. It’ll be a reset years in the making.
From Butler to Council, the Philly core slowly dissolved
While Joel Embiid and George’s health dominate headlines, the subtle roster moves this summer paint an even clearer picture. Just last week, the Philadelphia Sixers waived Ricky Council IV – one of the few young wings who got real burn last season. Sure, his efficiency dipped (38.2% FG, 25.8% from three), but the young guy still logged 73 games and 12 starts. His exit frees Cap and opens a spot, sure, but symbolically? It’s another thread cut from the latest Philly build.
And let’s not forget Jimmy Butler. The Sixers had him. Let that sink in. In 2019, after a run that saw Philly push the eventual champs to seven games, Butler dipped to Miami, frustrated by his role and how the front office viewed him. Fast forward five years: he’s been to the Finals twice. The Sixers? Still hunting for a Finals berth and stability. Butler’s departure may have been old news, but it was the first loud crack in the Embiid-led foundation.
Even going further back, the Covington trade told us something. RoCo was never a superstar, but he was the face of the Process for years – versatile, loyal, and symbolic of Philly’s grind-it-out rebirth. His 2018 departure for Jimmy Butler was a necessary gamble. But it marked the shift from development to desperation. With Council gone now too, it’s fair to say every layer of Philly’s core has either broken down or been peeled off.
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