Sixer of the Week: Weird, but mostly fun, end to the regular season

2023 Sixer of the Week Award Winners:
Joel Embiid - 7
James Harden - 2
Tyrese Maxey - 2
Mac McClung - 1

The Sixers played four basketball games this week to end their regular season and none of them impacted their playoff positioning. As you might expect, then, things got a little weird. First, Philadelphia played all-out and barely edged a Boston Celtics team missing a couple key starters. Then, a handful of regulars took the floor in a loss to Miami that had “preseason energy” vibes on behalf of the Sixers.

The last two games of the week brought some positive spirit and life back to these proceedings, however. A combination of bench players and G League champions combined to pick up a pair of wins against Atlanta (playing all their guys, mind you) and a Brooklyn team also keen on getting the postseason started.

Best of all, the Sixers suffered no injuries of note this week and no one punched a teammate. Great success!

Who is our final Sixer of the Week for this regular season?

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Joel Embiid (2 games): 36.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, 2.5 turnovers

The only time Joel Embiid played a full game this week, he tallied 52 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks to almost single-handedly take down the rival Celtics for the first time this season. The performance launched his MVP chances upward like a rocket. He also secured the season’s scoring title, becoming the first center to do so in consecutive years since the 1970’s. Additionally, Joel and teammate James Harden became the first teammates to lead the league in scoring and assists since the 1981-82 season. Oh, and Embiid was able to get a head start on resting his various nagging nicks and bruises ahead of the start of the playoffs next weekend. Not too shabby of a week!

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Jaden Springer (1 game, not counting his two minutes against Brooklyn): 19.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, 1.0 steals, 2.0 turnovers

No Sixers’ stock rose more dramatically this week than that of Jaden Springer. The 20-year-old guard dropped 43 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and four blocks against Rio Grande Valley in Game 1 of the G League Finals. He then followed up with 21 points in Game 2 to help secure the Delaware Blue Coats the G League title and himself G League Finals MVP. Jumping up to the NBA level, Springer then had some BIG-TIME moments at the end of regulation on both ends of the court to drag the Sixers to overtime (where they eventually secured the win) against Atlanta. Jaden went toe-to-toe with Trae Young and arguably came out on top on the judges’ scorecard.

In the regular season finale, he was pulled after two minutes, prompting ‘Is Springer in the postseason rotation now?’ speculation. The Sixers said it was just to help monitor his minutes after the heavy workload between the NBA and G League this week, but we know in our hearts they’re just trying to throw the opposition off the scent.

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Mac McClung (2 games): 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 turnovers

It’s tough to compete with a (likely) MVP award being secured and a G League Finals MVP being hoisted, but I have to let Mac McClung (who already has a Sixer of the Week award under his belt!) throw his hat into the ring after playing some actual NBA minutes with the Sixers. First, though, we have to give credit to Mac’s contributions in helping the Blue Coats win the title. He recorded 35 points and seven assists and 30 points and eight assists in the two G League Finals contests. That’s not nothing!

Then, after getting a cameo in the Sixers’ win over Atlanta, McClung was allowed to take center stage against Brooklyn and nearly recorded his first career NBA triple-double with 20 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. I don’t know if Mac will ever be an NBA player of significance, but I haven’t seen anything yet to say he definitely can’t be. In the meantime, he sure is a heck of a lot of fun. That should be teams’ priority more often: let’s bring in dudes who will be fun to watch. Good on the Sixers for the move and good on Mac McClung for continuing to live the dream.