Precarious times have fallen upon the Philadelphia 76ers. Tonight’s loss to the Miami Heat marked their 11th in 13 games. Considering their allure in the offseason following the acquisition of Paul George, the team’s showings thus far have been underwhelming. The feeling hit after tonight. No player spoke to the media for nearly an hour. Then Joel Embiid reflected on the Sixers’ disastrous start to the season.

Something that has played a part is injuries. In particular, not once have all their three enforcers – Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and George played together. Currently, dazzling scorer Maxey is out with a hamstring injury. PG13 is supplying more as a playmaker and third option. On the other hand, Embiid, who has averaged at least 30 in the last three seasons, is working up from a knee injury.

However, that isn’t entirely the reason for his lethargic start. With fresh faces among the team, the Cameroonian is attempting to get everyone involved. But that approach has led to no wins in the three games he has played. Hence, Embiid spoke firmly about how he needs to impose himself greater during games.

“I really want to empower all of our guys to succeed, but this is a learning experience for me and for us because we have a lot of new guys. … But we’ve got that record and something needs to be done about it,” he said after the loss to the Heat.

Joel Embiid only compiled 11 points in the loss. Surprisingly, he didn’t shoot a single free throw, signaling his passiveness on offense. The 30-year-old, driven solely now by the prospect of winning a championship, needs to average a lot more than 14.7 points for Philly to win games. With relentless aggression, he has been able to will his team past the finish line in the past.

With the discord within the Sixers currently and the absence of their most consistent scorer, Joel Embiid needs to become the offensive powerhouse he can be. Injury concerns seem to be holding him back. But without wins it’s impossible for him to realize his goal of winning championships.

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers need to up the ante

Given the sluggish start, Nick Nurse has come under immense fire for the team’s performance. However, there’s just one facet that requires fixing. It’s their offense. Defensively, the Sixers force the third most turnovers and don’t allow an influx of points. The reason for their loss is a lackadaisical offense that doesn’t have much life.

The problems start with not having a well-distinguished playmaker. With Maxey out, Philly doesn’t have an efficient floor general that can connect everyone. Their assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.46 is the third-worst mark in the league currently. But they lack ball movement in general.

The Sixers are only generating 21.2 assists per game, fewer than any other team in the league. Paul George is the only player averaging 5 assists within the team. Hence, what seems to require change is the system in general. Among the positives is the uplifting update on Tyrese Maxey.

When speaking of his return, he seems to be moving quicker than what was expected. “I feel great. I feel really good, man. Got a chance to move around on the court a little bit the last couple of days. I’m moving faster, and I feel a lot more confident. I should be out there sooner than later,” said the 24-year-old.

Once he returns, the Sixers will have a lot more options to defer to. As mentioned before, their ‘Big 3’ hasn’t played together yet. Hence, their true strengths still remain unknown. Yet, Joel Embiid surely needs to tone up his aggression during games. Nurse and the team need his gravitational impact on opponents to space the floor better and also have a reliable pivot for every game.

Do you think the Sixers can turn this around? Let us know your views in the comments below.