76ers' Daryl Morey Reflects on Tough Season, Plans for Healthier, Younger Roster Next Year

After a frustrating and injury-plagued season, the Philadelphia 76ers concluded their campaign with a 122-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls, capping a year that fell far short of expectations. Following the game, 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, alongside head coach Nick Nurse, held an end-of-season news conference where they discussed the team's struggles and their plans moving forward. Despite the disappointing results, Morey emphasized that both he and Nurse would return next season and commit to "assessing everything" to avoid repeating the same issues in the future.

Morey began by acknowledging how difficult the season had been for both the team and the fans. “Obviously a tough season... not where we expected to be,” he said, offering an apology to the passionate Philadelphia fan base. “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.” Morey also noted that ownership had provided the resources for the front office to make aggressive moves, but some of those moves did not initially pay off as expected. He reassured fans that despite the setbacks, the organization still felt good about the direction they were heading.

One of the key reasons for the disappointing season was injuries, particularly to the team's star players. Joel Embiid, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee just days before the press conference, only played 19 games. Paul George and Tyrese Maxey also struggled with injuries, with George appearing in 41 games and Maxey in 52. As a result, the trio played together on the court in just 15 games, logging fewer than 300 minutes as a group. Despite these setbacks, Morey expressed confidence that Embiid, George, and Maxey would be fully healthy for next season.

"This has been a very complex situation for Joel, for our medical staff, for outside folks like Dr. Glashow and others, figuring out exactly the right next step to make sure we can put him in the best way to help our team win a championship," Morey said, addressing the ongoing knee issues with Embiid. He highlighted the challenges of managing a player’s health, especially when the situation requires extensive data gathering and consultation with experts. “It is not straightforward, and that's why you do get different reports because it's one where you do need to gather a lot of data and a lot of opinions and then make the right choice, and we feel good about the choice.”

While optimistic about the health of his stars, Morey admitted that some mistakes were made in the team's approach to building the roster. Reflecting on the offseason, Morey explained that he focused too heavily on adding veteran players, with an eye toward the playoffs, but in doing so, neglected the grueling 82-game regular season. This imbalance was evident as the team struggled to stay healthy and maintain consistency throughout the year. Morey and Nurse acknowledged that the modern NBA, with an increased emphasis on offensive rebounding and high-level defensive effort, requires a different type of roster construction to survive the regular season.

With the 76ers’ top stars—Embiid and George—being on the older and more injury-prone side, Morey stated that the team’s roster would be younger and more dynamic next season. He made it clear that the goal was to surround Embiid with a more sustainable roster that could stay healthy for the long haul. “In my opinion, when you have an MVP-level talent, you need to make aggressive moves to upgrade around that talent in that window,” Morey said. “That's what we did last offseason, and we feel good about it going forward.” He further acknowledged the risks that came with focusing on players who were sometimes more injury-prone, adding that the team needed to ensure they had a deeper and younger roster to cover those vulnerabilities.

One of the bright spots for the 76ers was the team's draft pick situation. Heading into the season, Philadelphia’s top-six protected first-round pick seemed destined for the Oklahoma City Thunder, a remnant of the trade that sent Al Horford to Oklahoma City in exchange for Danny Green. However, after a disastrous finish to the season, the 76ers’ poor record allowed them to secure the fifth spot in the upcoming NBA Draft lottery, giving them a 64% chance of retaining the pick. Morey made it clear that the team would use this pick as a tool to improve the roster, stating that they would select the best player available, regardless of position, age, or readiness for the NBA. “Definitely best player available,” he reiterated. “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.”

Despite the tough season, Morey, Nurse, and the rest of the franchise remain optimistic about the future. Morey emphasized that with better health and improved roster construction, the 76ers could look much different next season. “If everything sets up well, we'll have a younger, more dynamic roster around a healthy Joel, Tyrese and Paul,” Morey said. He also noted the challenges of not having a healthy roster to start the season and admitted that it had been one of the toughest years of his career. “It was tough... for me personally, it was obviously the toughest season of my career, and I'll just say personally, I will spend every waking hour figuring out how to turn this team around going into next season.”

In summary, despite a disastrous and injury-plagued season, Morey and Nurse remain committed to improving the team for the future. The 76ers’ path forward includes a focus on better health, roster depth, and their high draft pick, which they hope will be a key piece in building a championship-contending team around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.