After falling to 2-11 with a 106-89 loss in Miami on Monday, that was Sixers held a team meeting after the game, head coach Nick Nurse admitted to reporters, including Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Nurse and the Sixers were not available to the media until more than an hour after the game ended.
Accordingly ESPN's Shams Charaniaexperienced point guard Kyle Lowry initiated the meeting, which sources told ESPN was a “much-needed conversation and call to action and urgency.” Nurse described the meeting as player- and coach-driven, and Charania's report said both players and coaches “held each other accountable” and took responsibility for the 76ers' poor start this fall.
Fifth year guard Tyrese Maxey – whose leadership within the organization is valued highly, according to Charania – called out Star Center Joel Embiid during the meeting, sources tell ESPN. Maxey reportedly told Embiid to make an effort to show up to team activities on time, suggesting the big man's tendency to be late “for everything” is having a negative impact on the rest of the locker room.
“Tyrese loves 'Big Fella,' but that's the elephant in the room.” A source told Charania that Maxey and Embiid are close friends and can hold each other accountable.
Learn more about the Sixers and Monday's post-game meeting here:
- While Embiid accepted the messages conveyed to him at the meeting, sources tell Charania that the former MVP is sometimes confused about what the 76ers are trying to implement on the court.
- Sixers players told Nurse they wanted to be coached harder, while coaches signaled to players that they should train with more “purpose and attention to detail,” Charania writes.
- Sources tell ESPN that Maxey, who has been out since Nov. 6 with a hamstring strain, is expected to return to action sometime this week – that will likely happen on Wednesday (at Memphis) or Friday (against Brooklyn). Assuming Embiid and Paul George are available, Maxey's return will mark the first time Philadelphia's new Big Three have played together this season.
- Embiid, who recovered from an illness on Monday after initially being listed as questionable, had expressed earlier this season that his goal was to “empower” his teammates rather than try to dominate games himself . However, he admitted after Monday's loss that he may need to be more confident given the hole the team dug for itself at the start of the season. “In the next few games I’ll probably try to be more aggressive and achieve more.” Embiid said, via Micellar. “…It's about finding the right balance: when to be aggressive, when to annoy the guys and when to let everyone do their own thing.”
