The Sixers organization and fans have a saying they like to rely on in tough times – “Trust the Process”. This saying refers both to the process of building a championship-winning team and to their star player, Joel Embiid whose nickname is the Process.

However, Sixers fans have fewer and fewer reasons to trust the process, with a 23-19 win-loss ratio in the first half of the season. This article looks at the sources of the Philly team’s troubles and examines whether there is a 76ers leadership problem.

The Joel Embiid Issue

Joel Embiid, on a good night, when he’s in playing shape, is one of the most dominant centers in the league. The only problem is, his team can’t rely on him to be available. Either he is injured, or he and the coaches are making so-called load management decisions. And while we understand that Embiid isn’t unbreakable like his video game counterpart, his availability is still atrocious. That is the first main issue when we consider the 76ers leadership problem.

At the time of writing, his team has already played 40 games and lost 19 of them, and he was only available for 23 of them. Granted, he averaged 24.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, but it was on a playtime of 29.7 minutes per game. A wise man once said, “Availability is the best ability.”. And we are seeing that in real time with Embiid and the Sixers.

Was Paul George the Answer?

Was acquiring Paul George truly the masterclass move it appeared to be this off-season? Paul George is 34 years old, and in his 5 seasons with the Clippers, he played over 70 games in only one season. For one of the team’s stars and leaders, that’s simply not good enough.

We can see the same kind of trend emerging in Philly– out of the 40 games in the season so far, PG-13 has played only 23, averaging 15.8 points per game. With a lack of gametime and subpar shooting from the field, Paul George simply isn’t showing up the way his team needs him to.

The Young Gun

Instead of former MVP Joel Embiid or 8-time All-Star Paul George, the Philadelphia 76ers’ lifeline is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey has played all 40 games so far, averaging 39.5 minutes and 30.0 points per game. Tyrese is getting it done on both ends of the floor, averaging 6.7 assists and 2.1 steals.

However, it is a damning statement for the established stars and leaders of the team. Maxey is no rookie, playing in his fifth season in the league with 2 All-Stars and 1 MIP Award. But the experienced stars’ lack of reliability points to a 76ers leadership problem.