NBA executive says 76ers have become ‘Clippers East’ amid availability issues

The Philadelphia 76ers have been marred by injuries to start the 2024-25 regular season, as their two biggest stars have combined to play just two games so far.

In light of all the damage the injury bug has done to the 76ers already, one Western Conference drew a comparison between the team and the Los Angeles Clippers.

“The Sixers got Paul George and have become the Clippers East for now,” the executive told ESPN. “They’re going to have to hang on during the regular season and just hope to get into the playoffs with their top two guys healthy and try for lightning in a bottle. It was always like that with PG and Kawhi [Leonard].”

While George is finally in action for the 76ers, big man Joel Embiid has still yet to play this season. In addition, the expectation is now that guard Tyrese Maxey will miss a couple weeks after he injured his right hamstring in the team’s loss to the Clippers on Nov. 6.

George is still trying to get his footing after returning from a knee injury. He looked solid in his last game but is still searching for his first 20-point performance of the season.

Embiid, after dealing with a knee injury of his own, is currently serving a three-game suspension for shoving a reporter following the team’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 2. However, Embiid is slated to play his first game of the season when Philadelphia takes on the New York Knicks less than a week from now.

The 76ers are reeling at the moment amid their availability woes. Philadelphia owns the worst record of any team in the Eastern Conference at 1-6 and is riding a four-game losing streak. Its only victory of the season thus far came in overtime against the Indiana Pacers back on Oct. 27.

Over in Los Angeles, Leonard is one of the better players in the NBA when he’s at full strength, but the issue is that he’s spent much of his time with the Clippers oscillating in and out of their lineup. He’s played in 60-plus games in just one season with the team, and like Embiid, he has yet to take the court since the beginning of the new campaign.

If injuries continue to derail the 76ers this season like they have with the Clippers in recent years, it would be difficult to refute the claim from the unnamed executive.