The Philadelphia 76ers have been the most disappointing team in the NBA this season. Injuries, including Paul George’s struggles, and a dismal set of performances have seen them endure a nine-game losing streak. And their 20-38 record means the Sixers are on the outside looking in even for a play-in spot.
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All this has led PG-13 to announce a hiatus from his podcast, Podcast P with Paul George. The forward has averaged 16.5 points per game this season, which dipped even further in his cold-streak since the end of January.
The break from the podcast, he claimed, will allow him to focus his attention on “getting my body right, getting mentally right, and help this squad make a push towards our goal to finish the season and give ourselves a chance to be in contention to compete for a championship.”
‘Haterade’ is the drink of choice in the NBA, and the taps were flowing after this announcement. Many ridiculed George’s championship talk amidst Philly’s difficult season. Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson had mixed feelings about the announcement on their recent Nightcap podcast.
“Everything is magnified when you’re losing,” Johnson said while wondering if the pressure to shut down the podcast came from “inside the [Sixers’] house,” as George and Philly have continued to play poorly.
Sharpe talked about how athletes will blame insignificant things for losing, such as sitting on their helmets in practice. Likewise, they’ll credit any unrelated thing for helping them win.
The NFL legend used an example of how he and his Denver Broncos teammates superstitiously wore the same suits throughout the playoffs on their way to winning the Super Bowl.
Both Chad and Sharpe were, in essence, doubting whether the podcast is the culprit here.
Will stopping his podcast help George and the Sixers?
Sharpe commended George for reading the room and stepping away, but he and Johnson were skeptical that this would help the Sixers get back into contention. Objectively speaking, it’s hard to disagree.
Joel Embiid is out for an indefinite period as he manages his knee injury, and George has already said he’s playing through finger pain. With McCain out for the year and 2.5 games separating them from the 10-seed (and another four on top of that to get to the 9-seed), there’s really no time with 24 games left to get back into contention.
In the best case scenario, if everyone gets healthy and Philly can jump up to 10, maybe they can win both play-in games and snag the eighth seed. Their reward for that will be a meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have only lost one more game all season than the Sixers have during their current losing streak.
Stepping away from the podcast for now is a good look from a PR standpoint for George. But it might not have any effect on the Sixers’ dismal season.
This situation may very well not improve until next year, and even then, it’s difficult to imagine Embiid and George being healthy enough to justify their hefty contracts.
