This Sixers season is suddenly looking seriously spooky. I'm starting to get 2024-25 vibes. But time will tell I suppose.
That Tyrese Maxey injury I thought was minor? Well, it's not as minor as I thought. Now Tyrese is set to be out three weeks as his pinky looks to have tendon damage. The entire Big Three is out now. The only silver lining I can think of is, Paul George's return is around the corner, and Joel Embiid might be back soon-ish but it's anyone's guess really. I'd like to assume Embiid will be back roughly the same time as George.
But maybe there's reason to think the Sixers can stay afloat...
The Sixers fell to the Cavs on Monday which was not remotely surprising. But the Sixers responded nicely on Tuesday with a win over the Grizzlies which did surprise me. V.J. Edgecombe returned from injury, and recently signed journeyman guard Cameron Payne had a career-high 32 points and he went an absurd 8/8 from three point territory!
All in all, the Sixers showed up in a big way vs the Grizzlies:
- Cameron Payne had 32 points, 10 assists
- Kelly Oubre Jr. had 30 points and 12 rebounds
- Quentin Grimes had 23 points
- V.J. Edgecombe had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
That's pretty impressive! I hope these four can keep it up, and perhaps Cameron Payne can fill the void that Jared McCain left, at least close enough.
I am highly skeptical that these four will be able to replicate this against the Pistons tonight. But still, I'm intrigued to see if the Sixers can match their intensity at all. I won't be surprised if the Pistons underestimate and overlook the Sixers.