76ers are confronted with the uncomfortable truth when VJ Edgecombe barks up the wrong tree

After their latest home loss in their first game back from the All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers are now just under a game above the teams currently in the play-in. But what’s most telling about this is the fact that they are now on a three-game losing streak, highlighted by the absence of Joel Embiid.

In their post-game presser, after dropping yet another home game to the mediocre Hawks, VJ Edgecombe was asked about the team’s struggles as of late. The rookie doubled down on Embiid’s absence as the main reason, and as one fan notedhe repeatedly cited Embiid’s absence as the main cause of their recent skid.

That’s exactly where the problem starts. The 76ers continue to fail to realize that they shouldn’t need Embiid just to win over struggling opponents on their own home floor. Yet that has been the case for years. Time and time again, this team has proven that, for the most part, they are completely incapable of winning ballgames without the superstar big man.

The 76ers still don’t have an answer for Joel Embiid’s absence

Of course, having Paul George next to Embiid doesn’t help, but this team is still plenty talented across the board. Tyrese Maxey could even crack First Team All-NBA this season. Edgecombe himself is a shoo-in to make First Team All-Rookie. The 76ers are also loaded with quality role players. But despite all this, they just can’t seem to at least deliver a competent show without Embiid.

This won’t be the only time their best player (yes, Embiid is still their best player on this team) will miss back-to-back games. The least they can do is get used to it and act on it. Sure, as Edgecombe noted, the defense now tends to double Maxey, but that’s not rocket science to say the least.

At this point it shouldn’t even matter what the front office is doing. As long as the team has very little idea of ​​how to function competitively without Embiid, their ceiling as a collective in the regular season (which obviously has a huge effect on their positioning for the playoffs) will be limited.

The real problem here is that the 76ers continue to rely so much on Embiid when that should no longer be the case. Sure, he may have had a resurgence, but that’s no reason to rest on their laurels and hope he remains a messianic figure to keep them from sinking.