Drama Unfolds In 76ers Team Meeting After They Blow 19-Point Lead

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Budding Sixers star Tyrese Maxey confronted his close friend Joel Embiid about not being on time for various team events and its impact on general team morale, according to a new report Tuesday from ESPN.

It happened during the Sixers team meeting, which was held after their most recent loss Monday night to the Miami Heat, which dropped their season record to an unthinkable 2-11.

The Sixers blew a huge halftime lead Monday in a game in which they had both Paul George and Embiid, who has played only three games this year due to injury, in their starting five. Embiid scored only 11 points as he works to fully recover and find his typical dominant form.

The ESPN report indicated that Embiid has been late for "everything," from team meetings to practices, warmups, other events, and that's impacting the already low feeling in the locker room.

Maxey, though just 24, has a high basketball IQ and is widely seen as the team leader, and given his close relationship to Embiid, it's logical that it was him who spoke out.

"Tyrese loves Big Fella," an individual who attended the meeting told ESPN. "But this is the elephant in the room."

The report indicated that Embiid received that message well. Multiple players, including Embiid, spoke during a press conference following the meeting and had a generally positive attitude.

Head coach Nick Nurse said after the meeting that they spoke about fundamentals, and better executing plans which they had practiced. Players, in turn, told Nurse they wanted him to be more involved in the play by play on the court.

While the Sixers start has been stunningly abysmal, it comes with a few huge caveats. The trio of Maxey, Embiid, and George has not once played together, as all have experienced injuries to varying degrees. Based on past injuries, Embiid typically needs a few games back to find his full form, and there's no reason to expect that won't happen.

And while the on-paper results are obviously not there yet, it's a very long season, with 69 games still to play.

The Sixers are back on the court in Memphis Wednesday night against an 8-6 Grizzlies squad.