The Sixers had an improved regular season and an up-and-down playoff run. Now, an interesting offseason awaits.

Joel Embiid lingered near the free-throw line with his arm slung around Justin Edwards, while also surrounded by Dalen Terry, Jabari Walker, and Trendon Watford during a timeout about midway through Sunday’s fourth quarter.

The 76ers’ star center had checked out of Game 4 against the New York Knicks long ago. But Embiid clearly wanted to savor some final on-court moments with teammates, even as this season ended with an absolute thud. The Sixers were annihilated, 144-114, at Xfinity Mobile Arena Sunday, as the Knicks completed their sweep by an average of more than 22 points per game.

“They were just better than us, in everything,” Embiid said of the Knicks. “We’ve just got to look at each other, starting with me.”

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It was a brutal final act of a jarring past two weeks, on the court and emotionally for this Sixers team and its supporters. They fell behind the Boston Celtics, 3-1, when Embiid labored through his return to the court a mere 17 days after an emergency appendectomy. They pulled off a thrilling comeback to win Game 7 in Boston, to finally eliminate a rival opponent they had not topped in the playoffs in more than four decades.

But those euphoric feelings rapidly disappeared during the ensuing eight days, thanks to the Knicks’ four-game dominance and their fans who took over the Sixers’ home gym.

That all captures the Sixers in their current state. When their top-end talent is available, they can hum and beat just about anybody. But those players were not able to sustain that rhythm for consecutive playoff series, much less the entire season.

So how should this season be evaluated overall?

All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey called it “a step in the right direction,” mostly in reference to young teammates who received their first playoff experience. Objectively, the 45-win regular season and advancement from Play-In Tournament to the playoffs’ second round was a significant improvement compared to the previous season, which began with championship aspirations after the flashy free-agent signing of Paul George but quickly descended into an injury-riddled disaster.

Coach Nick Nurse entered this season preaching that the Sixers needed to dig themselves out of that 24-58 record, while Maxey vowed that the team would play with the same energy and style regardless of who was on the court. They better withstood adverse stretches, and had an off-court camaraderie palpable even to locker-room visitors.

But the Sixers did not possess enough outside shooting, rebounding, or dependable depth — issues that reappeared during the playoffs. Their efficiency was average on offense (16th, 114.3 points per 100 possessions) and defense (17th, 114.4 points allowed per 100 possessions). And their aging, highest-paid players again were too often unavailable to generate extended periods of continuity or momentum.

Legitimate hope lies with the Sixers’ electric backcourt of Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe.

Maxey took another leap this season, ranking fifth in the NBA in scoring (28.3 points per game), making his second All-Star appearance, and putting himself in contention for All-NBA status. Edgecombe was an instant-impact rookie on both ends of the floor who averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game and finished third in voting for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. Both players were relentless workhorses, with Maxey leading the NBA in minutes per game (38) and Edgecombe ranking first among all first-year players and 12th in the league in that category (35 per game).

George, though, only played in 37 regular-season games, primarily due to a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. But he finished the season strong, including as an efficient scorer and defensive stalwart during the first-round series win over Boston that prompted Embiid to say George has “still got it.” George also got off to strong scoring starts against New York, but tapered off as games and the series progressed.

The Sixers also found success with down-the-roster moves, including Walker and part-time starting forward Dominick Barlow getting their original two-way contracts converted to standard deals. Edwards and reserve center Adem Bona, both in their second NBA seasons, also were part of the playoff rotation at times. Starting wing Kelly Oubre Jr., put together his most efficient offensive season, averaging 14.1 points on a career-best 36% shooting from three-point range, to continue a revival in his three Sixers seasons.

Yet an inflection point for this season will always be the criticized deadline trade of popular second-year guard Jared McCain to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. That yielded draft compensation, including a first-round pick, but no players who could immediately help this season’s team. Subsequent deals were explored, but never materialized by the deadline.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s comments that the Sixers were “selling high” on McCain continue to be metaphorically thrown back at him. McCain has been in the Thunder’s playoff rotation, including scoring 18 points in 18 minutes in Game 3 of their second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers and making a blistering 9 of 11 three-pointers overall in the series entering Monday.

Embiid, the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player, was limited to 38 regular-season games and averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists. He returned to his dominant status for a stretch from mid-December through early February, when he was in contention to be named an All-Star reserve. But the latter part of the season was interrupted by an oblique strain that kept him sidelined for about a month, along with a shin stress reaction.

It then looked like his April 9 appendectomy would be the latest bizarre ailment to derail a postseason, but he returned for Game 4 of the first-round series against Boston. His ball-commanding presence — he averaged 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in four games against the Celtics — was at the literal center of why Nurse believed the Sixers were “improving very rapidly” entering the second-round series against the Knicks.

But Embiid quickly became hobbled again, missing Game 2 against the Knicks with hip soreness and a sprained ankle after being listed as probable to play the afternoon of that game. The Knicks attacked Embiid’s more limited mobility in the pick-and-roll throughout the series, leading to open midrange jumpers for All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson and three-pointers for teammates.

Embiid, though, was surprisingly optimistic about his health outlook on Sunday.

He was bullish that he and the Sixers’ medical staff “figured out” how to manage his surgically repaired left knee that had hindered him the previous two seasons. He regards that as a personal success this season, making him “as confident as I’ve ever been” that he can train this summer and be more available in 2026-27.

“We came into the season thinking that there was not much left, based on the last two years,” Embiid said. “And now I’m sitting here not even worried about my knee, even after all the stuff that’s happened, people falling on me. Obviously, you’re going to have setbacks as you go along, but those setbacks have been so much different than it’s been in the past. …

“I thought I was done. That’s the best way to put it. Then I [found] something — and we found something — as a group to figure it out. What it takes and what we have to do to make sure we’re, quite frankly, [in a] better position next year to play a lot of games.”

Now, another interesting offseason awaits.

Entering the playoffs, Nurse and Morey were considered to be on the hot seat. Morey has not yet held his end-of-season news conference because, after the loss to the Knicks, he traveled to Chicago for the NBA combine. Nurse was not asked about his job status Sunday because his news conference was cut short when Embiid unexpectedly entered the room, ready for his turn to take questions.

And though Maxey and Edgecombe boast exciting promise for the future, the Sixers appear to be locked into this current roster. Multiple years remain on Embiid and George’s max contracts, which the Sixers could theoretically explore trading but are considered extremely difficult to move given those players’ health struggles and age.

It also is still worth wondering where things stand between the organization and Embiid, even after the topic was broached twice in recent media sessions. Embiid has spent his entire 12-year career with the Sixers and become one of Philly’s most accomplished athletes. In recent months, though, Embiid has publicly vocalized displeasure with a few key decisions.

In late January, he requested that the front office not duck the luxury tax at the trade deadline, before it dealt McCain. In the move’s immediate aftermath, Embiid visibly held back his words during a postgame media scrum in Los Angeles. Then when Embiid was held out of an April 1 win at the Washington Wizards due to illness, he created a social media stir by proclaiming he still wanted to play and later publicly called out Morey for not allowing him to.

» READ MORE: MURPHY: The Sixers season ended in embarrassment, but also made something clear about Joel Embiid’s future

When asked upon returning from his appendectomy about the status of his relationship with leadership, he pivoted the question to being focused on the basketball part of the first-round series. Asked again after the season-ending Game 4, he proclaimed, “I love Philly” but did not specifically address the state of things with decision-makers.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Embiid said in response to that question. “It’s hard to win in this league, and everything has to happen. Everybody has to be on the same page. Everybody has to play their best basketball at the same time. It takes a lot to win.”

Roster-construction questions also stem from the fact that the Sixers play a categorically different style when spearheaded by the speed and athleticism of Maxey and Edgecombe, or the gravity of Embiid.

Oubre, reserve guard Quentin Grimes, and center Andre Drummond are unrestricted free agents, while Barlow ($3.4 million), Watford ($2.8 million) and Terry ($2.6 million) have team options for 2026-27. Bona’s $2.3 million salary for 2026-27 also becomes guaranteed on July 7.

When asked Sunday what the Sixers need to vault into the true contender tier, Embiid and Maxey deferred to the front office. Nurse mentioned the league’s increasing pace of play, and the importance of continuing to develop young players. That is perhaps an acknowledgement of the top-heavy roster without much maneuverability.

The Sixers’ place in the Eastern Conference also remains murky.

The Detroit Pistons dramatically ascended to the top seed this season. Boston, though upset by the Sixers in the playoffs, put together a terrific regular season and still boasts shot-making stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who missed the bulk of the season while recovering from Achilles surgery. The Charlotte Hornets are an up-and-coming team, while the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers possess talent. And the Knicks have generated the momentum of the Finals contender they were projected to be before the season.

After Sunday’s loss, Maxey shared that Watford, a close friend who had never experienced the playoffs until this season, marveled to him about how “crazy” it was to still be playing games on May 10. Other players they know around the league had already begun their offseason workout regimens.

“I’m telling him, ‘That’s what you want to be used to,’” said Maxey, who made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons. “That’s one thing that we’re going to try to take away from this. And then just staying together. Keeping the camaraderie high. Keeping the vibes high.

“The vibes with this group were really good, especially with the young guys. [We] really liked each other.”

Those players all helped generate the resilience to drastically improve their regular-season record, get through the Play-In Tournament, and pull off the first-round Game 7 stunner. Then, they were obliterated by a better team.

Nurse said his immediate postgame message to players was that “nobody wants it to end this way, that’s for sure.” But he also appreciated their “super-hard work, and sticking together.”

Now, the Sixers must decompress from the jarring past two weeks. Because another interesting offseason awaits.