The 2-11 Sixers held an extended team meeting Monday night following their loss to the Heat.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that 38-year-old guard Kyle Lowry called the meeting. Charania described it as “a much-needed heart-to-heart and a call to action and urgency” and reported that All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey “challenged” All-Star center Joel Embiid.
“In the meeting, Maxey challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities, calling out the former league MVP about being late ‘for everything’ and how it impacts the locker room, from other players to the coaching staff,” Charania reported.
Maxey has been out for the Sixers’ past six games with a right hamstring strain, but he’s traveled with the Sixers and been a noticeably active, vocal presence on the sidelines. He’s “expected to make his return” either Wednesday against the Grizzlies or Friday against the Nets, ESPN reported.
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Maxey and Embiid have yet to share the floor over the Sixers’ appalling first 13 games. Embiid was first listed as out because of “left knee injury recovery.” He was then suspended three games for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the Sixers’ home locker room.
Despite being listed as doubtful with an illness leading into Monday's game, Embiid played in Miami and scored just 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Over his first three games, he’s averaged 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The seven-time All-Star has shot 32.4 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from 3-point range. He called himself “extremely rusty” and “a little timid” after his return vs. the Knicks, and those words have held true.
Charania noted that Embiid and Maxey “have a close friendship and have a history of holding each other accountable.”
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“Embiid accepted the messages sent in the meeting … but he stated he is confused about what the 76ers are attempting to execute sometimes on the court,” Charania reported.
The Sixers are tied for the NBA’s worst record and have the league’s lowest offensive rating. They rank 29th in three-point percentage (31.6) and last in "open" 3-point percentage (25.6 percent).
“There’s a lot of good things happening out there defensively, even considering we’re playing at such a disadvantage,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters in Miami. “We’re playing against transition so much, yet there’s still a lot of good communication, good schemes. … Again, just trying to reiterate those things and just trying to reiterate some of the things we need to improve.
“Offensively, moving the ball, staying with execution, some of those kind of things. And then getting these guys to believe they’re better shooters and better scorers than they’re showing right now, and we need them to step up and do that.”
Embiid on Friday attributed many of the Sixers’ offensive struggles to the team’s newness.
“We’ve had a lot of adversity so far — me missing the first couple games, (Paul George) missing the first couple games, now Rese being out,” Embiid said after the Sixers fell to the Magic. “I think the biggest (factor) of all is we’ve got a lot of new guys. You can see on the floor, it’s going to take a while for everybody to be on the same page and just know what we have to do offensively.
“When I have the ball or when someone (else) has the ball, when we have to cut or where we have to be ... just being together. But on the defensive side, we’ve been pretty fine, I think. On the offensive side, that’s what happens when you’ve had a lot of injuries and 95 percent of your team is new.”
Charania reported that Sixers players told Nurse in Monday’s meeting that “they want to be coached harder, and coaches in turn said they want players to practice with purpose and attention to detail.”
The Sixers will wrap up their three-game road trip Wednesday in Memphis. The team on Tuesday night listed Maxey as questionable and Lowry (right hip strain) as out.
