Philadelphia 76ers need to quickly fix major offensive flaw to keep season alive

The Philadelphia 76ers have lost three games by a combined 15 points in their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. But no matter how close the losses were, they still count as losses. Now, New York can close out the series at home and send the Sixers back to Philly with another early postseason exit.

Joel Embiid has labored through the first four games after missing more than two months with a meniscus injury. He’s playing through a spell of Bell’s Palsy and missed Philadelphia’s Game 5 shootaround with a migraine. Still, he’s averaging 35.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the series, including a 50-point performance in Game 3.

Embiid’s running mate and the 2024 Most Improved Player Award winner Tyrese Maxey is doing his part, averaging 29.0 points and almost seven assists with shooting splits of 48/38/100.

But the duo can’t win the series on its own.

Philadelphia 76ers desperately need more scoring from role players

Embiid’s 35 points and Maxey’s 29 account for 40 percent of the Sixers’ 105.5 points per game in the series. Only two other players, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry, are averaging double digits in scoring at 12.0 and 10.5, respectively. Tobias Harris is next on the list at 8.8 ppg.

Embiid played the entire second half in Philadelphia’s Game 4 loss at home because head coach Nick Nurse had no other choice. The offense sputters (to put it nicely) when one of the team’s two stars isn’t on the floor. It’s Embiid and Maxey or bust. That’s not a winning formula, especially not in the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the 76ers, there’s no reason to believe Harris is coming through with a 25-point game or Oubre has enough in him to drop 35 against the Knicks’ defense. It looks like another early playoff exit and offseason full of questions for Philly.

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