Daryl Morey, president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, and new head coach Nick Nurse addressed the media on Monday. They convened an end-of-season news conference to put an optimistic face on the team’s frustrating ending to the season. The 76ers faced a tough loss to the Chicago Bulls that marked the end of their season, leaving both leadership figures to contemplate the future of the franchise.
During the conference, Morey expressed optimism regarding the health of key players Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey for the upcoming season. He confidently stated that he believed all three athletes would be “100%” come next year. Beyond a welcome rosiness, this rosy outlook seems to have been necessary for a staff beset by injuries during the 2022 campaign.
Morey admitted that this season was a failure, saying that a change was necessary and in order. “Obviously a tough season… not where we expected to be,” he stated. He emphasized that the organization must “assess everything” to prevent repeating past mistakes, particularly those made during last summer’s team-building strategy.
Reflecting on his approach, Morey admitted he focused too heavily on playoff preparations instead of laying the groundwork for an 82-game regular season. He argues that this major oversight was key to the team’s struggles.
The offseason wars are nearly upon us. The 76ers are in a good position to tank, sitting at the fifth pick in the NBA’s draft lottery. This means they should have a 64% chance of keeping their top-6 protected first-round pick. Morey made it clear that this pick is a very valuable “tool” that can be used to re-tool the roster. He has said he will draft “the best player available,” regardless of position or age. This is further evidence of his commitment to improving the team.
“It has to be that high in the draft, for sure. Obviously, there’s a good chance we’ll take someone, and in that case, it will just be the best player. I’ve never shied away from that.” – Daryl Morey
Injuries played a critical role in their collapse last season. These days, Morey seems to be more interested in accumulating assets and developing a younger, bant-bred roster. He went on to emphasize that, if circumstances worked out well, they’d be surrounding a newly-embiggened Embiid, Maxey and George with recharged supporting talent.
Morey was quick to praise the support from ownership, which has allowed the front office resources to make aggressive, but not reckless, big moves this offseason. He stated, “Ownership gave us the resources to make aggressive moves this offseason to put a championship roster around Joel [Embiid] and Tyrese [Maxey] and sometimes those aggressive moves don’t initially work out, but we feel good about [them].”
The 76ers’ leadership believes that with strategic planning and healthy players, they can re-establish themselves as strong contenders in the league. Morey sent a particularly powerful signal to fans who’ve backed the team every step of the way this season.
“We expect more. We really feel for the fans who put their heart and soul into this team, and we know we’ve let you down.” – Daryl Morey
The Philadelphia 76ers have a pretty monumental offseason coming up. Most notably, they are clearly committed to addressing the areas where they failed, improve their roster for 2024 and beyond. The mixture of health of key players, along with savvy selections made in the draft, may dictate how far they will go from here.
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