Jan 26, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon
No matter the outcome, a coach will always look to get something out of a game. It could be big or small, innocuous to many. There is always something they are looking for.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse need not waste too much of his time searching for something after Monday's 130-93 loss at Charlotte in which the Hornets led by as many as 50. Enthusiasm was as hard to find as shovels in Philadelphia area Home Depots. Competitiveness was never shown by the visitors and Charlotte played with all the arrogance of a team that, well, pasted a shorthanded visitor.
Playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George, and being thrown into an afternoon starting time because of the storm that has crippled most of the East Coast, the Sixers looked as if they had rarely played together, or even wanted to at some points.
Yes, these games happen during the course of an NBA season and to get through it and just on to the next game is what is preached and promised by players and coaches.
But Philadelphia has shown some unsettling phases over the course of the past couple of weeks and you have to wonder if it's just a short trend or the start of something bigger to come.
Here's a look at some.
Once again, the Sixers got crunched on the boards by Charlotte by 63-42. On the few instances the Hornets did miss a shot (they made 56%), they still grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. Over the past three games, the Sixers have gotten outrebounded by a total of 188-136 overall, and beaten 49-27 on the offensive glass.
Embiid said after a recent win that he isn't going to post the rebounding numbers that he did in years past, but that he is concentrating more on keeping his man from getting the ball.
Well, someone else has to pick up the slack. And with Nurse's philosophy of jumping out on shooters and chasing on rotations, there are few who remain in position to consistently grab rebounds. Andre Drummond is still one of the best board men in the league, but Adem Bona has now taken over the backup spot behind Embiid. He chases blocked shots as much as he can, which oftentimes takes him out of rebounding position.Too many second shots have hurt the team of late, and pretty much cost them a win against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Who could blame guard Tyrese Maxey if he's got some heavy legs. Going into Monday's game, he was logging an NBA-high 39 1/2 minutes a contest and admitted after the team's loss to the Phoenix Suns that he was tired.
Could it all be catching up to the sixth-year guard? It's worth keeping an eye on for the super energetic guard. The troubling thing, as of late, is that many of his misses are falling short, which certainly could be a sign of fatigue. Perhaps it's just a stage. Maybe the Feb. 15 All-Star Break can't get here soon enough for him, though he is slated to be a starter for that game in Los Angeles. It warrants watching.
Good NBA teams have almost always been the beneficiary of having an advantage coming off the bench. That mostly comes, of course, in the form of scoring. Guard Quentin Grimes appears to be a perfect fit for Nurse as a spark off the bench. But, excluding Monday's blowout loss, he has averaged less than seven shots a game over the past 11. He seems to have become a little reluctant in pulling the trigger and has also seen his time decrease of late. He'll need to find his scoring groove, especially since fellow backup guard Jared McCain has had trouble finding his way back after a season-ending knee injury last year and a thumb injury before this season.
Is Bona the rest of the season answer as Embiid's backup? When healthy and giving the team 35 minutes or so, you have to wonder if Nurse is going to stay with the second-year Bona or give those minutes back to the 32-year-old Drummond. As exciting as he is to watch with his blocks and rim-rattling dunks, there is a lot to Bona that needs improvement. Might the steadier Drummond, who is a monster rebounder, be more comforting to that backup unit?
It happens to just about all rookies during a season where the legs just don't meet the rest of the body at the gym for a period of time. It doesn't seem to have happened yet for VJ Edgecombe, but is it coming and how long will it last? As stated above, the reserve guards aren't quite getting it done right now, and if they need to fill more of a role if Edgecombe does hit that rookie wall, how will all that play out? Again, this warrants a look.
The Sixers host the Milwaukee Buck Tuesday, and could be healthier pending Embiid and George. They'll host Sacramento on Thursday and New Orleans on Saturday before starting a stretch in which they'll play eight of their next 10 on the road, including a five-game West Coast trip to begin it all. They really need to find their winning ways and an ability to stop the above concerns in order to make their way up a wide-open Eastern Conference.
