Key Observations From Philadelphia 76ers' 2025 NBA Media Day

But let’s give this team a chance to wipe the slate clean (I know).

We all know “new year, new me” is typically nonsense, but circumstances truly change in sports.

Normally, media day would kick off with Nick Nurse and Daryl Morey addressing the room full of reporters with an opening statement before fielding questions from everybody. This time around, Joel Embiid snuck in and spoke for roughly 17 minutes, addressing some of the biggest storylines of the offseason.

After undergoing two surgeries in a little over one year, Embiid is simply taking it day by day. He talked about wanting to do everything right regarding his injury and mentioned that he wants to be as honest as possible. Listen to the body, and accept that it’s going to be unpredictable at times.

During the 2023-2024 NBA season, Embiid followed up a 66-game MVP run with just 39 appearances. Last year, he was in and out of the lineup, playing in just 19 games before calling it a year. The goal? Play consistently.

Last year, Embiid missed stretches of nine games, seven games, and 15 games before officially shutting it down after a February 22 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

Paul George Embraces a Reset

The Sixers formed one of the NBA’s few superteams with a star trio of Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George last season. The All-Star forward had two major issues: He couldn’t stay healthy, and he didn’t live up to the hype when he was on the court consistently.

George considered it a “rock bottom kind of season” for fans and himself. In 41 games, he averaged 16.2 points while shooting 36 percent from three. After being named an All-Star during his final two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, George was out of the All-Star conversation for his first season in Philly.

The 35-year-old didn’t take that as a sign to take a step back.

“I do think I still got a lot of game in me,” George said. “Playing at a high level. That’s who I am.”

George mentioned his contract multiple times. It’s clear that the $211 million he’s owed from the Sixers is not something he’s taking lightly. When he’s healthy and back in the mix, George doesn’t sound like a guy who’s taking a backseat. The only question left is when he can get back.

The start of camp? That’s not happening. Currently, George is doing everything but getting involved with contact drills. While the “ramp up” is nearing, the forward doesn’t have a target date for his return to reveal.

Building the Culture

When Joel Embiid participated in media day last year, he voiced his support for Tyrese Maxey as a vocal leader for the 76ers. I wondered if the kid out of Kentucky, who spent his first couple of seasons getting an earful from Doc Rivers and his veterans, would be able to command the attention of his older vets.

It would’ve been easier for Maxey to do so on a rebuilding team, but the Sixers have had championship goals since the moment he suited up for the team in 2020. When Kyle Lowry credited Maxey for being the reason why he didn’t want to retire and wanted to spend another season with the Sixers, that’s when I knew that he earned the proper respect. Time to capitalize.

“We need a standard,” Maxey said on Friday.

It’s clear the Sixers need consistency in the health department, but Maxey is looking to set a concrete culture across the board.

“When you see the Philadelphia 76ers, this is what you see. You're going to see that team every single night, every single time you turn the TV on, every single time you step foot in whatever arena that we're playing in, this is the team that you're going to get,” Maxey explained.

Nobody had to take Maxey under their wing and motivate him to work hard when he got into the league. Guys like Justin Edwards, Jared McCain, and VJ Edgecombe seem to carry a similar mentality, but Maxey is hammering down the idea of, this is how it has to be…. So this is how it’s going to be.

‘No Foul Games’ Featured in the Offseason

Outside of the injuries, one thing that stood out last season was the Sixers’ inability to let no-calls go. Most players fell into the habit of struggling to play through contact and moving on to the next sequence.

Perhaps that helped contribute to the team’s motivation to hold “no foul” scrimmages this offseason. Not everybody got the memo. Andre Drummond was admittedly shocked when he hit the court and found out that fouls weren’t getting called. There wasn’t a heads-up.

The Sixers have to be prepared for the unexpected. The physicality of the NBA might not be what it used to be, but turning it up in practice should help Philly for the long haul.

Something to Prove

Everybody in Philly has something to prove. Embiid and George have to prove they can stay healthy for the playoffs. Maxey has to prove he can be a 1A when duty calls. Nick Nurse and Daryl Morey just might be fighting for their spots this year, and you could feel that.

Nurse admittedly spent the summer pissed off. Daryl Morey walks around Center City seeing sports fans get excited for the Phillies' postseason run and a repeat Super Bowl campaign from the Eagles. We didn’t hear much about championship odds being favorable from the President of Basketball Operations.

The head coach didn’t attempt to sugarcoat the approach to the year. He’s just heading in with something to prove. “We've got to earn our way back,” said Nurse.

Final Thoughts

There was a slight change of pace this year with the expectations. I’m sure the Sixers are thinking about how much they want to compete for a title, but their mentality is more centered around simply getting back on track and making a playoff push.

Outside of that, the same questions are still in play. Only time will tell if the Sixers can overcome the injury bug.

The Bonus

• What's with the shooting sleeves? Embiid, Maxey, George, and Drummond had one on. I'm not sure if I missed anybody else. I wonder if the Sixers' social media team was up to something with that. Tyrese Maxey randomly bringing it up felt like a giveaway. So, we'll see.

• The Sixers served up some Chick-fil-A for lunch. Kyle Lowry joked that the sandwiches probably didn't have the "$0.39" cheese on them, which was hilarious because he was right.

• It's probably been said a million times, but the "Iverson-era throwbacks" are fire. There's a small group of fans who felt like only Allen Iverson could make those jerseys look good. I'm sure the tighter/less shiny look helps, but those jerseys look as good in person as they do on social media.