The Sixers’ season so far has been like those high-budget movies that fell flat at the box office. The trio of Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey is far from what one expected. That is mostly due to Joel Embiid’s injury and PG’s stop-start form, compounded by constant physical issues. The taped-up left pinky finger is due to his extensor tendon injury, for which he has been going through strict medication, including injections. But ultimately the medical implications are bound to show, and that’s exactly what is happening to Paul George.

After the humbling 124-104 defeat to the Celtics, George confirmed the suspicions about his health. “I’m hanging in there. I’m giving this team everything I have. The report is true. You know, I am taking some sorts of medicines to kind of, I guess, play through pain. But yeah, I’m going to try to give everything I got,” the forward told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, George has been taking pain-killing injections to manage the tendon damage in his finger. And it’s not looking good for the 76ers. There’s a real chance Paul George could end up on the injury list if the pain doesn’t get better. He’s already missed 19 games this season due to injury, and in the 36 games he’s played, he’s averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.

George is just in the first year of his four-season deal with the Sixers and has already weakened his case. But the struggles for the franchise don’t stop there. With Paul George’s situation getting worse, they can’t even rely on Joel Embiid for help, especially with calls suggesting that the team should take a call on the 7-footer.

Amid Paul George’s injury, calls mount to “shut down” Joel Embiid

If there’s one thing that has annoyed the Philly fanbase the most this season, it has to be Embiid’s constant presence on the injury list. And that is quite understandable. After all, the Cameroonian has only suited up 18 times this season. Moreover, his performance, adding 24.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per night, hasn’t exactly had a major impact on the team’s results. So, the easiest way to deal with his situation is to shut him down, that’s what Brian Windhorst advised.

“They’ve got to shut him down, it’s very clear,” the ESPN analyst said on First Take. Explaining how the team could benefit from it, Windy stated, “He just had a week or eight days off… He came back with that rest couldn’t move. You watched this game, he wasn’t there. And let’s just be honest, not only for his long-term health but for their team right now, they are tied for the sixth and seventh. Them and Brooklyn are six and seven in the lottery odds. Their pick, if it’s in the top six, they get to keep. If it’s outside the top six, goes Oklahoma City.”

Basically, the team is in a tight race with Brooklyn for the sixth and seventh spots in the lottery for the NBA draft. If their pick falls outside the top six, it goes to OKC. So what’s the option to boost their chances of keeping the pick? They need to prioritize losing games along with keeping Embiid healthy. Yes, you read that right. At least that’s what Windy believes. “They should lose those two games (their upcoming games against the Nets and Raptors) and prioritize losing going forward,” Windy added.

It wasn’t just Windhorst who suggested this, Stephen A. Smith too echoed the same sentiment. “Absolutely shut him down,” he said. Smith even called out the franchise’s managing partner and asked him to use his resources to get Embiid healthy. “Josh Harris is a billionaire…. You own the Sixers, so use your billions to get him wherever he needs to go, find a way to heal him so you can justify the 190 million that you’ve invested in him over the remaining three years. That’s what you do. Shut him down, and you do whatever you can to get him healthy.”

Both Joel Embiid and Paul George have had their fair share of injury issues, but the team really needs their veteran presence to get out of this slump. Right now, they’re sitting at 11th in the East with a 20-35 record and are in dire need of a boost. Whether they’ll get that help from Embiid and George or if like Windy suggested, they’ll start tanking games to focus on improving their future through draft picks remains to be seen in the coming months.