Stephen A. Smith brings a hilarious take on the 76ers’ injury woes

The 2024-25 season ended immediately Philadelphia 76ers‘ nightmares. They went into the campaign with such high hopes after bringing in the two-way star Paul George on a max contract because they believed George would be the missing piece in the 76ers’ championship puzzle. However, the The 76ers can only go so far without a healthy Joel Embiidand so far this season a healthy Embiid has become a bit of an oxymoron.

Embiid missed his 26th game of the season on Wednesday night another loss for the 76ers which drops them to 15-24 on the seasonfurther falling off the pace in the East standings. It didn’t help at all that George hyperextended his knee before the season started and battled his own injury demons, all the while struggling with consistency.

The good news for the 76ers is that this terrible first half of the season hasn’t completely shut the door on their playoff hopes. They can still crack the postseason party via the playoffs, though as things stand, they’re two games behind the 10th-seeded Chicago Bulls. But for Stephen A. Smiththis won’t matter at all considering how injury prone he is the stars of the team were.

“As the 11th seed, you have to squeeze in and get to the 10th (seed) and then you have the matchup. These are additional games. We’re worried these guys are going to hurt themselves on the toilet. That’s how bad it is!” Smith said in an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Countdown, via ClutchPoint on X (formerly Twitter).

As the old saying goes, the best ability is accessibility; The 76ers could put together the most talented roster on the planet and it all be for naught if Embiid and George can’t shake off their injury woes. But there’s still more than halfway through the season, so it’s not all doom and gloom for the 76ers, even after their heartbreaking 125-119 overtime loss to the New York Knicks.

The 76ers must be in a state of desperation for the rest of the season

It’s easy to say that the 76ers shouldn’t push the issue too far and consider this season a lost season. But at this point, it’s fair to wonder how much Joel Embiid has left in the tank given the many injuries he’s endured over the years. Paul George is also showing significant signs of decline; he is still a productive player, but how much longer will that be given that he is already 34 years old?

Of course, the 76ers will prioritize the long-term health of their best players. But this season has gone sideways very quickly, and they need to find answers as soon as possible. It’s also hard for Philly to get into a rhythm when their main players can’t get many reps in live play. And with 42 games left in the season, they should be in desperate mode to right the ship and maybe even sneak into a playoff spot.