Capture the Flagg: Joel Embiid is back to save the 76ers from what could have been a great tank
I want you to close your eyes for a second and imagine the Philadelphia 76ers playing the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals (difficult, I know). And they’re on a fast-break sparked by a Joel Embiid block. Paul George gathers the lose ball and kicks it ahead to Tyrese Maxey. Maxey crosses half-court and tosses a lob to the rim. The player on the other end of that lob is none other than Cooper Flagg.
The home crowd goes wild.
Now, open your eyes. As much of a dream as that sounds, it doesn’t have to be. If the NBA season ended today, that would be a real possibility for the 2025 Sixers. At 2-7, Philly was tied for the best No. 1 pick lottery odds entering Monday — a far cry from where they’re expected to end up by the end of the season.
All that’s likely to change soon, as Joel Embiid makes his long-anticipated season debut Tuesday following injury rehab and a three-game suspension. His presence will lead to more wins — even as Maxey is now sidelined with a hamstring injury. And more wins will exhaust the Sixers of a first-round pick altogether (it goes to OKC if it falls outside the top six).
But if the injuries continued piling up and the Sixers didn’t see improvement, is falling into the Flagg sweepstakes such a bad consolation? High expectations for the season aside, I say no.