Philly's Historic Collapse: Why the 2024-25 76ers Are the NBA's Biggest Disappointment of the 21st Century

The Anatomy of a Lost Season

The 2024-25 Philadelphia 76ers entered the season with championship aspirations after extending Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey while signing All-Star Paul George. ESPN analysts gave them an 'A' grade for their offseason moves, projecting them as a 50-win contender. Instead, they became a case study in catastrophe:

Three Key Failures

Embiid's Physical Breakdown
- Played just 19 games before arthroscopic knee surgery
- Career-worst -5.5 net rating when on court
- Scoring dropped from 34.7 PPG (2023-24) to 23.8 PPG
George's Premature Decline
- First season underperforming his max contract
- Shooting efficiency dropped 12% below league average
- Less productive than Tobias Harris per advanced metrics
Historic Injury Crisis
- NBA record 52 different starting lineups
- Lost more salary cap dollars to injuries than any team
- Maxey forced into unsustainable lead role (34% 3PT, turnover spike)

Where This Season Ranks Historically

Philadelphia's collapse places them among the worst underachievers since 2000:

Team	Projected Wins	Actual Wins	Shortfall
2019-20 Warriors	47.5	18.9*	28.6
2024-25 76ers	50.5	24	26.5
2007-08 Heat	46.5	15	31.5

*Prorated totals

What separates Philadelphia is that they were actively tanking by March despite preseason Finals buzz, losing 24 of 27 games post-All-Star break with a -10.9 net rating.

Silver Linings and the Road Ahead

While 2024-25 was disastrous, the franchise has building blocks:

Emerging Talent: Rookie Jared McCain (15.3 PPG) showed star potential before meniscus tear
Trade Win: Quentin Grimes' breakout as a Sixer (21.8 PPG, 39% 3PT)
Draft Capital: Top-5 protected pick could land elite prospect
Cap Flexibility: Maxey's extension doesn't kick in until 2026

As history shows with the post-LeBron Heat and post-KD Warriors, franchises with championship cores often rebound quickly after disaster seasons. Whether Philly follows that trajectory depends entirely on Embiid's health - but the stench of this disappointment will linger for years.