Amid a 2-11 start that left them in last place in the Eastern Conference, and with their star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey yet to play a game together, the Philadelphia 76ers held a team meeting after the 106- Monday night’s game. 89 loss to the Miami Heat.

The loss was the team’s fourth in a row, prompting veteran guard Kyle Lowry to call the meeting — a much-needed heart-to-heart and a call to action and urgency, sources told ESPN. Players and coaches held each other accountable and took mistakes early in the season.

Maxey challenged Embiid to be on time for team activities and called out the 2022-2023 league MVP on being late “for everything” and how it affects the locker room, from other players to the coaching staff, sources briefed on the meeting were informed to ESPN.

According to those on the team, Maxey and Embiid have a close friendship and a history of holding each other accountable.

“Tyrese loves Big Fella, but this is the elephant in the room,” a person involved in the meeting told ESPN.

Players told 76ers coach Nick Nurse they wanted to be coached harder, and coaches in turn said they wanted players to practice with purpose and attention to detail.

Embiid accepted the messages sent during the meeting, sources said, but he explained that he is sometimes confused about what the 76ers are trying to execute on the court.

Embiid, who was listed as questionable for most of Monday due to an illness, was not seen by most teammates and coaches all day before showing up for warmups and playing in the game.

Maxey is highly regarded by many in the organization as a young leader and those around the team were not surprised he spoke out on Monday. He has been out since Nov. 7 with a strained right hamstring, but sources say he is expected to return this week, either Wednesday in Memphis or Friday at home against the Brooklyn Nets.

Philadelphia transformed its roster this offseason after falling to the New York Knicks in six games in the first round of the playoffs. The Sixers added George, a nine-time All-Star, to a four-year, $212 million deal to join Embiid and Maxey, who signed his own five-year, $204 million deal hours later.

After years of trying, and ultimately failing, to find the right players to surround Embiid — from Jimmy Butler to Ben Simmons to James Harden — the Sixers believed they had found the ideal pair in George and Maxey.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index ranked the Sixers third in the preseason rankings. Their preseason over/under win total was 51.5.

George, recovering from a left knee bruise, has played in six of the team’s first 13 games. Embiid also missed the start of the season, with what the team called “knee injury management,” and was subsequently suspended for three games for pushing Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes. The team is 0-3 since his return.