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  • Sixers player preview: Is Trendon Watford going to be another valuable veteran’s minimum signing?

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    Welcome to our Sixers player preview series, where in the weeks leading up to Media Day we will preview the upcoming 2025-26 season for each and every member of the Sixers’ standard roster. For each player, we will pose two key questions about their season before making a prediction.

    The pressure is on after a miserable 24-58 campaign last season. After entering a year with championship aspirations and spending multiple months having to tank for the sake of a protected first-round pick, the Sixers have lost any and all benefit of the doubt that their signature season is finally coming.

    It is safe to say there is a whole lot of work to do on the Sixers’ end to prove the doubters wrong. Do they have a roster good enough to make it happen?

    Up next: Trendon Watford, the team’s lone external addition to its standard roster via free agency this summer. A close friend of Tyrese Maxey, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Watford possesses unique ball-handling and passing skills at power forward, giving him an opportunity to fill a new role within Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s offense. How high is the ceiling for the 24-year-old forward signed to a two-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum salary?

    SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS

    Jared McCain | Justin Edwards | VJ Edgecombe | Kyle Lowry | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Johni Broome | Adem Bona | Andre Drummond | Trendon Watford

    Can Watford form a dynamic two-man game with his close friend?

    Around this time last year, this question was being asked about another one of Maxey’s close friends: KJ Martin. Martin and Maxey had grown close off the floor, and entering last season Maxey announced his intention to create a lethal two-man game with the athletic forward. He went as far as to say he wanted to create a similar dynamic that James Harden and P.J. Tucker had.

    Now, it would be wise to expect that Maxey and Watford are eager to accentuate each other’s strengths on the court. Watford joked over the summer that he has only ever gotten to play against his friend. Now they can see what it looks like when both players are in the same uniform. Watford’s potential two-man game with Maxey will look different than Martin’s did – Martin is a far superior athlete, but not nearly as good of a passer – but as they try to form a reliable combination, there can be some examples drawn from the brief success Maxey and Martin had together

    Watford is a suspect three-point shooter (more on this later). If he plays himself into a critical role at power forward and Joel Embiid is available, Watford will often be the Sixers’ worst shooter on the floor. Defenses will leave him open a lot. The same was true for Martin, who found ways to leverage that for the benefit of others:

    While Martin utilized impressive short-roll passing chops and strong instincts during his time with the Sixers, Watford has a complete ball-handling repertoire. He is a true point forward who is going to initiate plenty of offense for the Sixers whenever he is on the floor.

    Being able to weaponize Maxey – and Jared McCain, for that matter – as off-ball scoring threats will go a long way for the Sixers on the offensive end of the floor. Those players can fly around screens and wait for Watford to find them, or they can curl around Watford for dribble hand-off actions like this one: 

    Maxey will not be the lone beneficiary of Watford’s unique skills, but he certainly figures to be the player Watford shares the floor with more than any other. The pairing has preexisting chemistry that could do it a whole lot of good.   

    MORE: Watford explains connection with Maxey, unique skills, more

    What will Watford provide offensively when he does not have the ball?

    Watford is clearly a gifted ball-handler at his size, and his full package of passing talents will provide value to this offense. But in order to really stick as a critical component of the rotation, he cannot be a liability away from the ball.

    In general, Watford has made enough of his open three-point attempts to avoid that status. But he has not made enough of those shots for anyone to feel good about his accuracy, and in his four-year NBA career Watford’s three-point volume has often been limited by his slow release:

    At the peak of Martin’s time with the Sixers, he had grown comfortable knocking down corner triples. It helped define his offensive role for many possessions within a game. Can Watford become similarly useful in that spot? He does not have tons of experience there in his career, but it should be the easiest region of the floor for him to find success spotting up:

    For any role player on a team full of ball-dominant, high-usage players, the ability to make catch-and-shoot three-pointers is just going to be crucial no matter what. There is no doubt that Watford’s significant ball skills give him greater margin for error as a three-point shooter, but in order to play important minutes in extremely competitive games he is going to have to prove capable of making defenses pay for ignoring him.

    MORE: Trendon Watford full film study

    Prediction

    Watford does not profile as a long-term starter with the Sixers, but he plays well enough to establish himself as a helpful rotation piece. As a result, the Sixers pick up his $2.8 million team option for the 2026-27 season with zero hesitation. 

    Watford very well could get a healthy number of starts at the four in 2025-26, but that’s much more of a reflection on the team’s lack of a firm option at the position than Watford’s own ability. And while the guess here is that Watford proves to be a keeper in Philadelphia thanks to his outstanding ball-handling and passing skill at his size, it is likely not wise to bank on Watford being the team’s long-term solution at power forward.

    To be clear: That is completely fine. If Watford ends up good enough to be at the back end of a rotation, the Sixers’ commitment to him will have paid off in spades. Finding a player even occasionally viable of logging rotation minutes on a two-year minimum deal – Watford’s deal also contains a team option for the second season, ensuring the Sixers will not lose him after one year like they did Guerschon Yabusele – is a massive win every single time.

    Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey takes a whole lot of criticism these days; plenty of it is earned. But his track record of success with minimum signings since arriving in Philadelphia is outstanding, and given the makeup of their cap sheet the Sixers must continue hitting on players like they did with Yabusele at the bottom of the market in free agency. Will Watford be their latest diamond in the rough?

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Sixers player preview: Is Adem Bona ready for the stakes to be raised?

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    Welcome to our Sixers player preview series, where in the weeks leading up to Media Day we will preview the upcoming 2025-26 season for each and every member of the Sixers’ standard roster. For each player, we will pose two key questions about their season before making a prediction.

    The pressure is on after a miserable 24-58 campaign last season. After entering a year with championship aspirations and spending multiple months having to tank for the sake of a protected first-round pick, the Sixers have lost any and all benefit of the doubt that their signature season is finally coming.

    It is safe to say there is a whole lot of work to do on the Sixers’ end to prove the doubters wrong. Do they have a roster good enough to make it happen?

    Up next: Adem Bona, the No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft whose rookie season included many tantalizing indications of upside. One of the silver linings of the Sixers’ miserable 2024-25 season was their ability to give extended run to youngsters in need of development; Bona was one of the most significant beneficiaries of that. Does he have enough experience to be a quality backup center in the NBA next season?

    SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS

    Jared McCain | Justin Edwards | VJ Edgecombe | Kyle Lowry | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Johni Broome | Adem Bona

    How much can Bona cut down on his fouling? 

    Bona has a motor that never stops, a combination of size and leaping ability that is nearly unparalleled, tremendous length and a clear desire to swat shots. It is a makeup which helped him be one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA right away. Only two players topped Bona’s 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes last season, and he is able to get to shots a lot of rim protectors cannot.

    Bona’s shot-blocking aggressiveness, however, has come at a price. It was inevitable that he would post gargantuan foul rates as a rookie, and early on in his season he did just that. To some, it was not much of a concern: Bona was not primed for big minutes anyways, so fouling out was not worth worrying about.

    It matters quite a bit, though. Bona’s role expanded as the year went on because of injuries to Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. And even if fouling out was not a risk, it never helps to have a player constantly inciting whistles.

    As Bona started getting more frequent rotation cameos in early 2025, he was very early in the process of learning how to defend against NBA speed and physicality without fouling. For two months, Bona really struggled. But it was clear as time went on that he was finding ways to play with at least a bit of discipline.

    By the time March arrived, Bona’s workload had grown. He missed a week with a foot injury, but returned and was suddenly starting and playing heavy minutes. That continued into April as the season ended. Bona’s foul rates were still high, but he made substantial progress in the final months of the season:

    Month(s) Bona games played Bona minutes per game Bona fouls per game Bona fouls per 36 minutes
    January + February 24 14.3 2.5 6.2
    March 11 21.8 1.9 3.1
    April 7 31.6 3.6 4.1

    Moving forward, Bona is the favorite to be Embiid’s primary backup center. Given how often Embiid has missed time in his career, Bona being able to play upwards of 30 minutes on any given night will be crucial. In order to do that, he must stay out of foul trouble.

    Will Bona have offensive utility beyond screening and dunking?

    Bona is a non-shooter, though he was pleased with his accuracy on free throws for much of the season before a poor finish to the year on that front. Bona’s offensive production was largely limited to finishing plays – either serving as a lob threat or receiving dump-off passes under the rim.

    But the Sixers have, in recent years, focused on developing their bigs as short-roll passers. Bona is no exception, and his physical and athletic tools make him the prototypical screen-setting big. That means, on a team with plenty of ball-handlers capable of commanding double-teams, he will need to be a reliable decision-maker in 4-on-3 situations:

    “One of our daily habits that we work on is playing out of double-teams,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said in March. “Because it affects both Joel and Tyrese so much that we almost start every day working on Tyrese getting blitzed, Paul George getting blitzed, Joel getting blitzed. And the first two, usually the play has to run through the big after the first [pass] – or second pass for sure, normally the first. And then they’ve got to make them pay. It’s 4-on-3, you know, we usually want a super high-percentage attempt at the rim or a catch-and-shoot three out of those situations.”

    MORE: Why Sixers spent 2024-25 teaching their bigs to pass

    Nurse went out of his way to praise Bona for his improvement in that area on multiple occasions in the final months of the season. To his credit, Bona understands how that skill can make him especially valuable to this team moving forward.

    “I think that will be a really big part of my game, because playing with Tyrese, he’s probably going to get blitzed a lot. So being able to make decisions off the blitz, I think that’s going to help me and also help the team,” Bona told PhillyVoice in March. “I’ve kind of seen a similar situation when I was in college, I was getting double-teamed a lot so I had to pass out of double-teams. So I think that helped me translate it into making plays out of the blitzes, so I’ve just got to keep developing and that’s going to really help me develop my game. And to be able to share the floor with better shooters, I can find them for wide-open shots.”

    Prediction

    Bona’s lofty fouling rates remain an issue as his role expands, but he proves to clearly be the Sixers’ best option at center when Embiid is off the floor. He remains on an impressive trajectory for a player drafted in the middle of the second round.

    Bona is never going to have a pristine foul rate. He should not aim for one. To get, one must give; Bona will not be able to become one of the league’s most terrific shot-blockers if he is afraid to have a whistle blown on him. Of course, a balance must be struck so aggression does not turn into recklessness.

    Bona’s jumpy nature works against him at times. But it was clear from Bona’s rookie season that reps go a long way for him. He got much better on the fly, noticeably more disciplined and attentive. It bodes well for his future, even if he never becomes an Earth-shattering rim protector.

    To no fault of his own, Bona’s rookie season was nightmarish for the Sixers. But all of the chaos and injuries gave him an opportunity. He is much better – and more confident – because of it.

    “We’d be talking about him as like, ‘Hey, can Adem contribute this year?’ in a normal year. In a normal year, he probably doesn’t play last year, and it was just one of the positives of last year,” Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said in July. “We didn’t have a lot of positives, but one of the positives was Adem and Justin [Edwards] and Jared [McCain] and all these guys got pretty significant minutes they normally wouldn’t have gotten. And I think Adem, especially at the end of the year, got the confidence of Nick and his staff.”

    MORE: Bona plans to be patient, know his role… and scream as loud as he can

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Why Philadelphia Sports Communities Create Lasting Connections – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Unsplash

    All around the world, people are creating communities around their favorite sports, an occurrence that is very evident in Philadelphia.

    From the Eagles to the 76ers, the city has no shortage of teams that inspire loyalty among fans. With this, it’s not unusual to see fans coming together, whether online or offline.

    But outside of simply supporting these teams, many community members find a source of companionship and camaraderie. In this article, we’ll touch on the various ways that sports communities build lasting connections and how you can use them to your own advantage.

    Sports-Related Activities

    There are so many ways to go about enjoying sports, and being part of a community of other fans means you do this with like-minded people. As such, many people turn to sports communities so that they can enjoy their favorite sports and their associated activities with others. For example, many sports fans love to place wagers on the outcome of various games. In fact, in the age of the internet, this is more popular than ever before. Turning to online platforms means more privacy and greater ease of placing wagers, which is why no verification betting options for players are very high in demand.

    By joining communities, players can place wagers alongside their fellow community members, discuss odds, and celebrate wins. This also applies to things like watching games as a group, discussing their favorite players, and much more.

    Exploring Group Identity

    For many sports fans, the teams and games they support are not just a form of entertainment but a part of their identity. Some fans will support a single team throughout their entire life and may even pass this support to the next generation. As such, there is a great emotional high of connecting with people who are equally as passionate about certain teams. If news breaks regarding the teams, such as players being traded or new management coming on board, it can be discouraging to not have anyone to discuss with who shares your enthusiasm. And as we’ve seen both in real life and in the media, sports funds take these things very seriously.

    This is why these communities will continue to thrive, because often, fans immediately gain access to people who share their own level of enthusiasm. Just like fans of musical acts or certain celebrities can find emotional support from clinging to their own communities, so do members of sports communities.

    PHOTO: Unsplash

    Non-Sports Support

    When sports communities come together frequently, they almost inevitably develop a bond that goes beyond just sports. Some people bond within these groups over the sports themselves, but eventually become friends even outside of them. Some people will find a romantic connection, and some may even get work opportunities through these sorts of groups. Because the human experience is dynamic and a connection in one area of life can easily bleed into others, many see these sports communities as not just a connection to sports themselves but also a major social lifeline. And as long as this emotional connection is continuously provided for through these groups, they will continue to exist. 

    Recreational Activities

    We’ve already touched on things like placing wagers and watching games, but there are other recreational activities that sports communities can collectively engage in. For example, some sports communities in a certain city may organize transport to watch live games with others. Some might pull together resources to get coveted tickets to certain games.

    Some might even begin to play their own amateur sports as a way to keep fit and socialize. For anyone looking to enjoy a bubbling social life, this sort of opportunity will be very much welcome. 

    Support From The Teams

    Sports teams rely on their supporters to stay afloat, and naturally, this means they support the various communities that exist around them. There have been instances of sports teams giving exclusive perks to prominent fan clubs, such as invitations to events, meet-and-greets, and so on. In the age of digital assets, there are even fan tokens that these community members may leverage to access tons of benefits. Sports communities and sports teams enjoy a symbiotic relationship where each needs the other to stay afloat, and thus, there is mutual support.

    Rivalries

    While we’ve talked a bit about the camaraderie and the positive connections that fans form within sports communities, it’s also worth looking at how rivalries can create lasting connections. We all know two sports teams that are bitter rivals, and this extends to their communities as well.

    Perhaps the only thing that unites community members more than support for their favorite team is hatred of another one.

    And as long as they continue to rival these teams, they will continue to seek community with other haters, and thus, these communities serve a purpose.

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    PHLSportsNation

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  • 5 Sixers thoughts: What to make of Clippers scandal; does Cam Thomas taking qualifying offer set the stage for Quentin Grimes?

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    Happy Monday! We are inside of three weeks away from the Sixers beginning their 2025-26 season, a journey which will lead them to Abu Dhabi for two exhibitions in the first week of October before returning home for a few more preseason games and then an 82-game marathon.

    And then, the Sixers hope, will come a lengthy playoff run.

    As always, let’s begin the week with 5 Sixers thoughts, with the NBA’s newest potential scandal serving as the headliner.

    Also inside: Jared McCain providing an injury update, the first of Quentin Grimes’ restricted free agency cohorts to make a decision and more.

    Los Angeles Clippers cap circumvention story through a Sixers lens

    Last week, “Pablo Torre Finds Out” broke a potential scandal that could become a massive, league-altering one in the NBA: a potential case of salary cap circumvention involving superstar Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. The entire story is fascinating and you can listen to/watch it in full here.

    The natural inclination when observing this story is to think of Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000. The league found that the team and Smith were working in tandem to circumvent the cap, as Smith took multiple short-term deals below his market value with the promise of a lucrative long-term deal once the team attained his Full Bird rights. The penalty was massive: Smith’s rights were voided, the team was fined, owner Glen Taylor had to step away from basketball operations for a period and lead executive Kevin McHale was forced to take an unpaid leave of absence. And none of that compared to the five consecutive first-round picks the league office docked from the Timberwolves.

    Cap circumvention is a massive sin in any sport, and the prevailing expectation seems to be that if the NBA can definitively prove that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer directed payments to Leonard off the books, Ballmer and his organization will risk facing massive penalties. Speculation has already begun about how that would look, particularly in terms of draft-related penalties, because the Clippers do not have actual control of any first-round picks until 2030. They have two significant obligations to the Sixers from the James Harden trade:

    2028 2029
    Clippers owe Sixers unprotected first-round pick Clippers owe Sixers first-round pick swap rights (top-three protected)

    To be clear, the NBA would not strip Los Angeles of picks it has already traded and actually penalize other teams for the Clippers’ wrongdoing. If the NBA concluded that there was wrongdoing worth punishing in the form of docking three first-round picks, for example, they would take away picks that the Clippers actually own, even if that means waiting until the next decade.

    If there is any non-Sixers development that would benefit the long-term health of the franchise in the next five years, it would be the Clippers falling into a state of mediocrity or worse. As has been covered here extensively over the last year, there is a world in which the Harden trade of 2023 eventually nets the Sixers two premium draft picks that ease their transition into a post-Joel Embiid world.

    Are there any possible ramifications of Torre’s reporting that could lead to a worse outlook for the Clippers two years from now? Perhaps Leonard’s contract being voided is one, but that would actually gift the Clippers cap space to pursue a more reliable star.

    Ballmer has already flatly denied all accusations of salary cap circumvention, and it would take a mountain of evidence to give the NBA comfort going after the richest owner in the league by far. But if the hammer does come down on the Clippers, the Sixers could be beneficiaries.

    MORE: VJ Edgecombe discusses offseason work, season ahead with PhillyVoice

    Cam Thomas takes the qualifying offer. Will Quentin Grimes follow suit?

    Grimes’ restricted free agency is still ongoing, more than two months after he officially reached the open market for the first time in his NBA career. The same is true for two of the other three high-profile restricted free agents, as Chicago’s Josh Giddey and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga remain without new deals. But Cam Thomas, always seen as the most likely of the foursome to take the qualifying offer, did just that last week. He has returned to the Brooklyn Nets on a one-year deal worth just under $6 million that comes with a no-trade clause and pathway to unrestricted free agency as a 24-year-old next summer.

    Thomas taking the qualifying offer was not shocking. In addition to being in a brutal, barren salary cap environment this summer with only one significant cap space player (Brooklyn), Thomas has perhaps the largest disconnect with the marketplace in terms of his optimal role on an NBA team. Thomas’ own team having all of the financial flexibility in the world and still declining to make him any long-term offer speaks volumes.

    With an Oct. 1 deadline to accept the qualifying offer, the clock is beginning to tick on Grimes, Giddey and Kuminga if they want to go with the nuclear option. For Grimes in particular, the qualifying offer feels like a lose-lose scenario. There is some theoretical upside for the player and none for the team, but that upside will be tremendously difficult to reach.

    When Grimes emerged as a dynamic three-level scorer in a two-month audition with the Sixers, he was the most important trade deadline acquisition on a team that would be remembered as an abject failure. His blossoming was a much-needed organizational win, and he received every chance to prove he was capable of surpassing expectations.

    But of the four talented young guards expected to suit up for the Sixers next year, Grimes is clearly fourth in terms of long-term importance. If Grimes prevents the Sixers from securing him on a long-term deal or making him a trade asset by taking the qualifying offer, it will be much easier for the Sixers to discard the goal of maximizing his talents in favor of providing Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe with as much runway as possible.

    Grimes has made about $11 million in four NBA seasons despite spending much of that time as a definitively good player. He has been traded three times; two of those deals came despite Grimes giving his team quality production. Someone so familiar with the situational volatility that comes with being an NBA player should have a strong understanding of the importance of long-term security. Grimes will not get a deal that is commensurate with his ability and room for improvement, but taking the qualifying offer backs him into a corner. He would be a bad break or two away from missing out on the three- or four-year deal every free agent hopes to sign.

    Jared McCain says he is ‘on pace’ for training camp

    It has been nearly nine months since Jared McCain underwent a season-ending meniscus surgery, cutting short an electric rookie campaign at 23 games. McCain was the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year before the knee injury sidelined him; even without playing after the second week of December his torrid scoring run was the most exciting and encouraging aspect of the 2024-25 Sixers season. McCain, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, proved that he has legitimate star upside. His brilliant shooting touch was as advertised and he showed considerably better on-ball scoring chops than anyone would have guessed as an NBA rookie.

    McCain accompanied the Sixers for Summer League in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas and worked out with the team in a limited capacity, but did not play in games. At an event for the renaming of the Sixers’ arena – the Wells Fargo Center is now officially the Xfinity Mobile Arena, by the way – McCain spoke to the media and reportedly indicated he is optimistic about being fully prepared for training camp in just a matter of weeks.

    “Right now, I’m on pace,” McCain said, according to the Associated Press.

    The Sixers have no reason to rush McCain back, but this far removed from his surgery, it is not too challenging to imagine the 21-year-old being a full go. The team’s eventual depth at guard once Grimes’ free agency is resolved has been discussed frequently, but without McCain, this team does not have a viable backup point guard right now. They need McCain to handle the ball when Tyrese Maxey is off the floor.

    MORE: McCain’s case to be a starter

    A Delaware Blue Coats legend departs

    It is hard for any player to accumulate more experience and respect with an NBA G League affiliate than Jared Brownridge has with the Delaware Blue Coats. Dating back to their days as the 87ers, the 6-foot-3 guard has been firing threes in Delaware. Brownridge’s eight-year tenure with the organization has come to an end, as he was part of a trade near the end of August.

    Speaking of the Blue Coats, the Sixers named Vice President of Player Personnel Ariana Andonian as the first-ever female general manager of the Blue Coats on Friday.

    A possible Sixers target goes overseas

    As soon as Guerschon Yabusele departed Philadelphia after one strong year – leaving the Sixers to sign with the rival New York Knicks at the taxpayer’s mid-level exception – how the Sixers attempted to piece together a quality power forward rotation became of interest. One free agent whose fit seemed clear was Trey Lyles, who does and does not check a lot of the same boxes as Yabusele (even if it looks a whole lot different).

    Lyles, a 10-year NBA veteran, does not come with a ton of upside, but his stable skills would have come in handy for a Sixers team that could have even used an innings-eater at the four. Lyles, however, will not be joining the Sixers in the near future, as he has reportedly agreed to a contract with Real Madrid. He will be taking his talents overseas.

    Speaking of Yabusele, the 29-year-old had a dominant EuroBasket performance for Team France last week, posting 36 points against Poland:

    Yabusele and the Knicks will face the Sixers in a pair of preseason games on the aforementioned Abu Dhabi trip. New York’s front office is hoping he can be a critical component new head coach Mike Brown’s bench in their pursuit of a championship.

    MORE: Why Sixers declined to match Yabusele’s offer from Knicks

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe talks offseason work, season ahead before first pitch at Phillies game

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    After Brandon Marsh helped him find a glove, Sixers No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe began having a catch with a television host interviewing him. He looked like he knew what he was doing. Has he played baseball before?

    “Yeah, I did,” Edgecombe said. “I played baseball growing up. It’s a sport I played just for the fun of it. I love baseball. It’s been a long time since I played… [I played] second base and outfield.”

    Edgecombe took the field at Citizens Bank Park late Friday afternoon to fulfill some television duties with Apple before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch. After having a quick catch, Edgecombe chatted with some members of the Phillies. Many folks nearby were intrigued by how tall Edgecombe was.

    First it was special assistant Howie Kendrick. Marsh stopped by multiple times. Nick Castellanos had some words of encouragement for Edgecombe, and later on the 20-year-old had an extended conversation with Alec Bohm, the only other person around of a similar height:

    Once Edgecombe was done greeting some of his Philadelphia sports cohorts, he spoke with PhillyVoice about his goals for his upcoming rookie season in the NBA, his offseason work, budding bonds with Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain plus much more. 

    Edgecombe and his teammates will not officially convene for Media Day, training camp and a preseason trip to Abu Dhabi for another four weeks or so. But he has gotten plenty of work in with his teammates, both at the team’s practice facility in Camden, N.J. and in Los Angeles where Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines holds runs full of NBA talent.

    Among the players Edgecombe has worked with: Tyrese Maxey, Trendon Watford, Jared McCain, Justin Edwards and Jabari Walker. Developing chemistry with as many teammates as possible is something Edgecombe believes will pay dividends moving forward, he said.

    “It’ll help a lot. Basketball’s a team sport. We’re all going to be out there together, playing for each other,” Edgecombe said. “We just want to stay connected as much as possible. It goes a long way. We just want to stay connected as a team.”

    Maxey is taking ownership of his role as the leader of the Sixers’ youth movement. He is turning 25 years old in a few months and is set to begin his sixth NBA season, but Maxey is the clear centerpiece of the organization’s longer-term ambitions. He will need players like Edgecombe to reach their potential to help him down the line. Many recent Sixers youngsters have lauded Maxey’s leadership skills. What has Edgecombe experienced?

    “He’s a great person, man,” Edgecombe said. “Like they said, he’s a leader. That’s true. He’s a real leader, someone that’s just looking forward to getting better every day in the gym. He helps us out, [answers] questions, all that. It’s been great… getting to know him as a person.”

    Minutes after he was drafted by the Sixers in June, Edgecombe proudly beamed talking about the concept of Maxey being his backcourt mate for years to come and the two of them hopefully retiring as Sixers together. The Sixers’ three most important young players — Edgecombe, Maxey and McCain — are all guards. Edgecombe and McCain knew each other from Edgecombe’s recruiting visit at Duke and grew closer in Las Vegas during the 2025 NBA Summer League. While McCain and Edgecombe are closer in age and experience to each other than they are to Maxey — just a year apart — all three players have the opportunity to grow together.

    “I’m super excited. They’re great players, but they’re even better people,” Edgecombe said. “They have great heart, great personality, so I’m definitely looking forward to growing with them, continuing to get better, just looking forward to winning. Keep building the bond, brotherhood, chemistry.”

    McCain only has 23 NBA games under his belt and Edgecombe has never stepped on an NBA court. But because they are both guards on a team set to pay Maxey over $168 million over the next four years, there is already a lot of speculation about whether there is an eventual odd man out or if head coach Nick Nurse can devise a scheme creative enough for all three guards to coexist (with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes likely to join the mix as well).

    Edgecombe did not get into specifics about his offseason work — “literally just trying to get better in all aspects of my game” were his exact words when asked which skills he was focused on developing over the summer” — and he did not show much interest in discussing the makeup of his eventual role with the Sixers. He said he still does not know what it will look like because his conversations with Nurse have not been about basketball.

    “He just cares about my well-being,” Edgecombe said. “That’s the main thing we’ve talked about. Just wondering how am I doing as a person after being drafted, stuff like that. That’s the main thing. We haven’t been talking about basketball or what my role would be or what expectations he has for me.”

    One way for Edgecombe to secure a more significant workload on a guard-heavy team is proving capable of defending above his size. If Edgecombe can be the biggest of three guards on the floor at one time without the Sixers becoming vulnerable defensively, he has a path to major minutes right away. Edgecombe has not paid much thought to the possibility of guarding NBA wings.

    An early takeaway from Edgecombe’s interviews and media availabilities since joining the Sixers: he has so much confidence in his abilities that he never worries about not being up for a task. The idea of playing alongside two other guards is not an exception to that rule.

    “I’m comfortable with whatever Coach Nurse wants me to do. I’ll do it. It’s as plain and simple as that,” Edgecombe said. “Whatever he needs me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it. Just play my hardest, give my max potential, best I can. Three-guard lineups, two-guard lineups, it doesn’t matter. I’m just happy to be on the floor. I’m looking forward to competing.”

    Speaking of competing, there is some irony in this: Edgecombe’s competition for the fourth guard spot in Nurse’s rotation — assuming Grimes returns — will be Eric Gordon.

    Gordon is a mentor of sorts for Edgecombe, as the two played together for Team Bahamas. Edgecombe laughed when reminded of his comment on draft night — “EG is old, man,” he said at the time — before raving about why Gordon remaining with the Sixers this summer excited him.

    “Just how great of a person and how great of a vet he is,” Edgecombe said. “He helped me with Team Bahamas, he helped me a lot. And that’s someone I’m definitely looking forward to being on the same team with again… He’s a great vet, so I’m definitely looking forward to learning from him.”

    Edgecombe’s aforementioned confidence in his abilities is unflappable, but it does not necessarily translate to arrogance. He knows he will have to learn a lot to reach the heights those talents could take him. He hopes to do a lot of learning on a roster featuring a mix of veterans who have seen it all and young players who have recently been in the spot he finds himself in now.

    “They all have been in my shoes. They all were once rookies. They all had vets. So I’m just looking forward to being a part of the team,” Edgecombe said. “[Tyrese] and Jared are obviously younger, we’re all going to share similar experiences. I’m just looking forward to learning. They’re going to give me advice, what to do and what not to do, how to be a better pro, whatever it is. I’m just looking to soaking all the advice in as much as I can.”

    MORE: Everything to know about Sixers’ 2025-26 schedule

    There is so much coming for Edgecombe. Many years of NBA basketball are in his future. There will be triumphs and hardships. His noticeable intensity will help him endear himself to Philadelphia fans, but those same people will inevitably grow frustrated at a poor stretch of games or a blown assignment.

    For now, he is an exciting young prospect whose presence signals some hope. And when legendary Phillies public address announcer Dan Baker bellowed his name as he walked out to the mound, it was the first time Edgecombe appeared in front of a crowd in Philadelphia.

    Edgecombe heard a lot about Philadelphia fans. Now, he has heard a lot from Philadelphia fans. He is ready for more.

    “Philly [has] great people, great fans,” Edgecombe said. “I’m looking forward to celebrating with them, looking forward to getting to know fans, getting to know why they’re so passionate and stuff like that.”

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Scouting the Sixers’ competition: Indiana Pacers crashing down after NBA Finals appearance

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    While the Sixers still have some business to attend to before their offseason can be complete, most of their Eastern Conference cohorts have just about wrapped up their work ahead of the 2025-26 season in the fall.

    Now is as good of a time as ever to survey the landscape of an Eastern Conference that has lost a pair of championship-caliber teams due to superstar injuries. Very few sure things exist in the conference this year, and there is plenty of opportunity for new contenders to arise.

    The Sixers are running back a roster fairly similar to the one that finished out last season in hopes of improved health and continued development from younger players propelling them back into contention. But how have the teams they will have to surpass changed over the summer?

    Up next: the Indiana Pacers, whose dream run to the NBA Finals came crashing down in Game 7, when they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder after superstar point guard Tyrese Halliburton tore his Achilles. From a victory away from the pinnacle of basketball to a gap year ahead, a lot changed for the Pacers on that night.

    SCOUTING THE SIXERS’ COMPETITION

    Boston Celtics | Indiana Pacers

    Roster changes

    Because of Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers are entering a gap year with unfortunate timing. Nobody expected them to make significant additions, but the anticipation had been that Indiana mainstay Myles Turner would eventually be re-signed. Out of nowhere, Turner ended up signing with the Milwaukee Bucks.

    Indiana pivoted by swinging a minor trade for another stretch five and taking a few shots in the dark at the position: 

    Added: Jay Huff (trade), James Wiseman (free agency), Kam Jones (No. 38 pick in 2025 NBA Draft)

    Retained: Isaiah Jackson

    Extended: none

    Lost: Myles Turner, Thomas Bryant, James Johnson

    Turner’s production is not irreplaceable, but it is hard to find bigs capable of shooting and protecting the rim the way he can. Unless Huff and Jackson turn out to make up a dynamic platoon of sorts for the Pacers that they can rely on at center for years to come, they will have to reorient their team around Halliburton to some degree when he returns from injury.

    MORE: Everything you need to know about the Sixers’ 2025-26 schedule

    Depth chart projection

    With Haliburton out, the guess here is that instead of elevating old friend T.J. McConnell into the starting five, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle will slide Andrew Nembhard to point guard and start Bennedict Mathurin alongside him. It enables McConnell and Obi Toppin to remain spark plugs off the bench for a team that will rely on Pascal Siakam a whole lot more: 

    PG SG SF PF C
    Andrew Nembhard Bennedict Mathurin Aaron Nesmith Pascal Siakam Jay Huff
    T.J. McConnell Ben Sheppard Jarace Walker Obi Toppin Isaiah Jackson
    Kam Jones Johnny Furphy James Wiseman
    Tony Bradley

    The most interesting pieces of this puzzle are Mathurin – a flawed player whose score-first skill set will be valuable on a team suddenly starved for offense – and Walker, a former lottery pick the Pacers are still waiting on to fully blossom. Walker is more of a four than a three, but he will probably have to log minutes at both forward spots in his third NBA season.

    Sixers ties

    The most significant connection between the Sixers and Pacers is McConnell, whose tenure in Indiana is now much longer and more memorable than his time in Philadelphia. McConnell reached 10 years of NBA service last year, became one of the most important pieces of an NBA Finals team and took over Game 7 of the NBA Finals for a prolonged stretch in the second half. His rise will never not be remarkable to think about.

    Otherwise, fellow old friend Tony Bradley revived his career with Indiana last year. Bradley’s time with the Sixers was not very long, but it included his participation in the infamous “Seven Sixers” game:

    One of Carlisle’s trusted assistant coaches, Lloyd Pierce, became the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks after a decorated run as an assistant under Brett Brown with the Sixers. Pierce, a defensive-minded coach, has often been credited with the development of Robert Covington from a stand-still shooter to an First Team All-Defense honoree.

    MORE: McConnell reflects on hitting 10 years of service

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Tyrese Maxey to be re-evaluated in a week after suffering strained right hamstring, Sixers say

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    LOS ANGELES, CA — Sixers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey has a right hamstring strain, the Sixers said on Thursday. He will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.

    Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the team’s practice that it is unclear if Maxey suffered the injury on any particular play, but an MRI revealed that he will need to be sidelined for the time being.

    Maxey was removed during the second half of the Sixers’ road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, but Nurse indicated after the game that the team had merely been playing it safe with one of their stars.

    “I don’t think [Maxey will miss time],” Nurse said. “I don’t have any idea at this point. But again, just precautionary. Really precautionary… That type of game, there was not much of a reason to try to push him through.”

    MORE: Postgame sounds from Sixers-Clippers

    Now, though, the Sixers will be without Maxey for at least a week — and Shams Charania of ESPN, who first reported the news Thursday morning, said Maxey was expected to miss multiple weeks.

    In the interim, Nurse said his plan is to elevate Kyle Lowry into the starting point guard role, with veteran Reggie Jackson backing him up. Two-way point guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. could also be involved at some point.

    With Maxey out for at least a week and Joel Embiid serving a suspension for two more games, suddenly the Sixers’ lone star is Paul George, who has only played two games this season and has had his minutes and workload monitored. Nurse said that there is no specific timeline on when George will be a full go, but that the nine-time All-Star will at least be “limited” when the Sixers take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

    The Sixers have struggled mightily on the offensive end of the floor all season, and things are only going to get tougher without Maxey in the fold for the time being.

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Sixers weekly preview: Three-game West Coast trip on tap

    Sixers weekly preview: Three-game West Coast trip on tap

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    For the first time in 2024-25, the Sixers are shifting time zones: they will spend the upcoming week on the West Coast, where they play three games that figure to be competitive. 

    Per the usual, on the morning of each game we will have team-specific previews of each Sixers game. But here is some handy information about the week ahead for the Sixers:

    At Suns (Monday night)

    It remains to be seen if Paul George will make his Sixers regular season debut in Phoenix. If he does, there will likely be no easing in for the nine-time All-Star. Not only are the Suns a formidable opponent, but they have three high-powered perimeter scoring threats — Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal — which means the Sixers will need to start three players they can trust to handle difficult defensive assignments.

    Caleb Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. are safe bets to take on two of those matchups, which means one more Sixer must prepare for a long night on the defensive end of the floor. In an ideal world, George would be able to guard a low-usage player in his first game back as he tries to find a groove without any stressful matchups. A debut against the Suns might stand in the way of that.

    The city of Phoenix has not been kind to the Sixers in quite some time: the last time they won a game there came on Jan. 2, 2019. The Sixers’ starting five that night was made up of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Furkan Korkmaz (!), Jonah Bolden (!!) and the current head coach of their third and final opponent this week.

    At Clippers (Wednesday night)

    This will be the first meeting between these two teams to take place at the Clippers’ brand new home, the Intuit Dome, but there will be plenty of familiar faces — on both sides. The list of players who could be suiting up against their former teams:

    • Paul George, who spent five years with the Clippers before departing for Philadelphia last summer.

    • KJ Martin, who logged a whole two games as a Clipper in between being traded to Los Angeles and then getting rerouted to the Sixers.

    • Eric Gordon, who spent the first three years of his NBA career — 2008 through 2011 — with the Clippers, and then spent the final months of the 2022-23 season with them as well.

    • Reggie Jackson, who spent parts of four seasons with the Clippers — reviving his career from 2019 through 2023 — before spending a year and change with the Denver Nuggets and eventually heading to the Sixers to team with which he reunited with an old friend in George.

    • James Harden, whose messy departure from Philadelphia was well-documented and has now taken total control of the Clippers’ offense with George gone and Kawhi Leonard sidelined indefinitely.

    • Nic Batum, who also revived his career with the Clippers, spending three full seasons with the team before being traded to the Sixers after three appearances in his fourth season in Los Angeles. Batum finished last season with the Sixers, became a free agent and took a below-market deal to return to the Clippers.

    • Mo Bamba, who made 57 appearances and 17 starts for the Sixers as a third-string center last season. Bamba signed with the Clippers over the summer with a pathway to being their backup center, but has not yet played for the team due to an injury. That has created an opportunity for someone else…

    • Anyone who remembers the Sixers tenure of Kai Jones deserves a prize — and maybe a therapy session, too. Jones, who inked a 10-day contract with the Sixers last season, never appeared in a game for the team. He received a training camp deal with the Clippers and showed enough in preseason to earn a two-way contract. He has been the team’s primary backup center with Bamba sidelined.

    I cannot remember the Sixers facing so many former Sixers at once — let alone also having the same amount of players who used to play for the opposition.

    MORE: Draft picks Sixers acquired from Clips in Harden trade proving valuable

    At Lakers (Friday night)

    Fair or not, Sixers rookie Jared McCain will be compared by many of his skeptics to Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, who has opened the young season as Redick’s ninth man. The Sixers drafted McCain at No. 16 overall in last June’s NBA Draft despite Knecht’s stunning fall; one pick later the Lakers nabbed him. Knecht was viewed as one of the most NBA-ready prospects in his draft class and boasts similar shooting excellence as McCain. He will be 24 years old by the time the regular season ends, though, and many front offices stray away from such old prospects these days.

    In other news, former Sixers shooting guard JJ Redick is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world! Redick appears to be off to a strong start, as a Lakers team notorious for early-season struggles finally bucked that trend and picked up some early wins. Anthony Davis looks absolutely outstanding right now, and Redick has said the team is being very intentional about giving him every opportunity to assert himself as a dominant force on both ends of the floor.

    MORE: Sixers Ties: Pacific Division

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Sixers soundbites: Joel Embiid breaks silence on lengthy absence, says he ‘should be back pretty soon’

    Sixers soundbites: Joel Embiid breaks silence on lengthy absence, says he ‘should be back pretty soon’

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    CAMDEN, NJ — Just when you thought the world of the Sixers had reached maximum chaos, Joel Embiid appeared out of nowhere and sat down to discuss his lengthy absence and the next steps to enable a return to action after the Sixers practiced on Friday — a practice in which Embiid and Paul George both fully participated, including in five-on-five scrimmaging — a significant step for each.

    Embiid said he will not play on Saturday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. But, as is often the case, Embiid had a whole lot of other things to say. Let’s not waste any additional time:

    • Embiid on whether or not he had a setback in his left knee:

    “No. I had surgery in February. I did come back early to fight for the team and to play and try to give us a chance, and unfortunately we lost. I had time to recover, so really still been managing since the last surgery. Been managing, and trying to figure out the best approach. But feeling pretty good. I started doing some live stuff and it feels pretty good. So should be back pretty soon.”

    • Embiid on the mental obstacles he must overcome:

    “You need to feel 100 percent. I think over the years, I’ve done a lot and put myself at risk for the team, which I’m going to continue to do. But I think right now is the time to make sure that everything is great… It’s really being comfortable, trusting it. Being out, I want to be my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m afraid…. The last surgery, I mentioned it so many times, it was probably the toughest mentally, and mentally I’m just dealing with getting that trust back.”

    • Embiid on the difficulty of sitting out games as a competitor:

    “Extremely difficult. I think everybody that knows me knows that I would love to be out there every single game. It’s just unfortunate that some [players] are not as lucky as others to be part of every single game. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it’s not for a lack of trying. It’s tough. Mentally, you can’t play, but still trying to get yourself mentally right to push. Everything is trending the right way.

    • Embiid recounts prior injuries he says he has rushed back from and takes aim at a local columnist who he says suggested he is not focused enough on returning to the floor:

    “I’ve broken my face twice, I came back early with the risk of losing my vision, had broken fingers, I still came back… When I see people saying ‘he doesn’t want to play,’ I’ve done way too much. I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk for people to be saying that. So, I do think it’s bull****, like that dude, he’s not here, Marcus whatever his name is [Hayes]. I’ve done way too much for this ****ing city to be treated like this. Done way, way too ****ing much.”

    • Embiid on if his participation in the Olympics has impacted this situation at all:

    “No, I think I was fine. When you get a chance to compete for a gold medal, you can’t pass that up. I don’t care what anybody says… I wasn’t needed to do what I do with [the Sixers] carrying the load. Honestly, I did nothing. I was basically just being there. I had my little moment… I was happy just getting rebounds and setting screens and rolling and getting guys open and playing defense. I was happy doing that. So the load, really, I had nothing. I never put myself at risk of something happening. That was the easiest load I’ve ever had in my life. It was a great experience… I know it doesn’t mean anything to Americans, but a gold medal means a lot to me. And that was special.”

    • Embiid on his hesitance to provide a specific timeline for his return:

    “You can say, ‘Oh, I’m playing on Tuesday.’ But then again, what if something happens in between and you can’t make it now? Everybody’s all mad.”

    About a dozen minutes later, Embiid concluded his media availability with five words: “It’s on the right path.”

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Instant observations: Sixers suffer brutal loss to Raptors, fall to 0-2

    Instant observations: Sixers suffer brutal loss to Raptors, fall to 0-2

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    Looking to rebound after an opening night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, the Sixers traveled to Toronto for a Friday night battle against the rebuilding Raptors in hopes of nabbing their first win of the season. In Nick Nurse’s return to Toronto — where he won an NBA title as a rookie head coach — he made two significant early changes. One of those changes involved Kyle Lowry, considered by most to be the greatest Raptor of all time.

    In their second game of the season, the Sixers looked the part of a group of players figuring out how to coexist with one another — much more than they did against Milwaukee. An incredibly disjointed first half had them off to a shaky start, and in the second half a few brief spurts were overtaken by Raptors runs. Suddenly, the Sixers are 0-2.

    Here is what stood out from a putrid 115-107 Sixers loss.

    MORE: Lowry and Nurse’s Toronto legacies

    Nurse makes a pair of starting lineup changes

    Initially, Lowry was supposed to be the Sixers’ third guard when he joined the team late in 2023-24, but was quickly forced into an outsized role at the team’s starting shooting guard. Nurse confirmed at the team’s Media Day last month that Lowry would likely not have as significant of a role in his first full season with the team.

    Lowry came off the bench in all of his preseason appearances and did so on Wednesday night. Fellow veteran Eric Gordon earned ownership of the starting shooting guard spot that Lowry had vacated, while KJ Martin filled in for the injured Paul George and Caleb Martin was expected to log plenty of minutes off the bench.

    Lowry played well on Wednesday night, while Caleb Martin was likely the Sixers’ best player on the floor in his debut with the team. And Nurse wasted no time inserting the former teammates into his starting lineup around Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond, with Gordon and KJ Martin moving to the bench.

    Nurse’s Martin-for-Martin swap was not a huge surprise. Caleb Martin played more than 37 minutes off the bench — more than any Sixer other than Maxey — and if he is going to continue to shoulder that sort of workload, it becomes a bit trickier to find all of those minutes for him when he does not play for the first handful of minutes of the game. 

    The decision to replace Gordon with Lowry, though, came as a larger surprise. Gordon had a poor outing in his Sixers debut, failing to connect from beyond the arc and only making one of his four shot attempts from inside the arc. Nurse seemed to have plenty of conviction during the preseason that Gordon being part of the starting unit provided valuable floor spacing — enough that even Gordon being usurped by Lowry, a famous Nurse favorite, was surprising this early in the season.

    Paul George injury update

    Speaking of George, the nine-time All-Star’s Sixers debut will not happen this weekend. George is out for the Sixers’ Sunday afternoon contest against the Pacers in Indiana and will be re-evaluated soon after, the Sixers said on Thursday evening.

    “George continues progressing well in his recovery from a left knee bone bruise,” the Sixers said. “He will not play during the team’s two-game road trip and an update on his availability is expected early next week.”

    Center rotation unravels early, but Maxey gets off to hot start thanks to help from one new teammate

    Drummond, who committed five fouls in 25 minutes on Wednesday night, had to check out after just over three minutes of action in this one. Maintaining defensive discipline is always important for a center, but Drummond needs to be particularly cognizant when Joel Embiid is sidelined that he must remain available to play heavy minutes.

    Replacing Drummond was the Sixers’ temporary backup center, Guerschon Yabusele, who set a couple of mean screens to free up Maxey for a pair of triples from the right wing. Maxey also converted an and-one and had a few gorgeous assists in the first quarter, a major improvement from a poor opening frame against Milwaukee.

    Yabusele quickly got into foul trouble as well, though — and by the 4:22 mark of the first quarter, Nurse was using his third center of the game. KJ Martin slid up to the five, a spot where he was occasionally used down the stretch last season. The fifth-year athletic chess piece blocked a shot early on in his stint at center, and a moment later had a strong one-on-one stand on the block against center Bruno Fernando which led to a basket on the other end for him.

    Then, another genuine surprise: the insertion of rookie Adem Bona, who had not been expected to see regular minutes at any point in the near future. Bona, the Sixers’ fourth center of the opening frame, has plenty of work to do limiting his own fouling — and on his first defensive possession of the night, he fouled Raptors All-Star point forward Scottie Barnes on a drive to the basket.

    With the chance to make a pair of offensive-oriented substitutions near the end of the quarter, Nurse pulled Bona and KJ Martin for Maxey and Ricky Council IV. Four seconds later, Maxey had drawn a foul, and KJ Martin returned for a defensive stand. The whole thing made for a wild ride:

    Somehow, the Sixers ended up leading Toronto, 31-30, after the conclusion of the first quarter. Maxey’s 13 points and four assists were both game-highs.

    Fouling issues continue to plague Sixers, but rim pressure helps ease the blow

    In addition to Drummond’s five fouls against the Bucks, Yabusele fouled out, Oubre collected five fouls, and both Martins had four fouls (and KJ only saw 15 minutes of action).

    The Sixers’ inability to stay out of foul trouble only escalated in the first half of this one. In addition to Drummond and Yabusele, Caleb Martin also picked up a pair of fouls in the first quarter. Caleb Martin, Yabusele and Lowry each had three around the midway point of the second quarter.

    Early returns on the Sixers’ bets on athleticism and positional versatility outweighing frame and muscle have been noticeably poor, as a team suddenly without a Goliath in Embiid is being physically overwhelmed. It is far too soon to make any declarative statements about the viability of the Sixers’ mostly-undersized roster, particularly given the noteworthy talents that have been unavailable through their first pair of games, but this is certainly something to keep an eye on.

    On the bright side, the Sixers were able to bait Toronto into committing the same amount of fouls before intermission — 15 — and shot nearly as many free throws as the Raptors. Maxey led the way, knocking down all seven of his free throws. Drummond drew three fouls, but only made two out of six attempts at the line.

    All of the whistles led to one of the longer halves of October basketball you will see. Toronto was much more efficient from the field, paving the way for a 62-56 Raptors lead at intermission.

    Oubre opens third quarter strong, Sixers run follows

    The Sixers were desperate for some juice on both ends of the floor in the second half, Oubre who gave it to them right off the bat. The fan favorite swingman took a charge, knocked down a step-back mid-range jumper, forced a backcourt violation, threw a perfect alley-oop pass to Drummond and connected on a floater, all in the span of about two and a half minutes.

    For the time being, though, Oubre’s excellent sequence of two-way action did not power a Sixers surge, it merely kept them afloat. In fact, Toronto’s lead actually increased from its standing at halftime during Oubre’s strong 6:37 of action to begin the third quarter.

    Coincidentally, the Sixers were able to make inroads on Toronto’s lead after Oubre went to the bench. Gordon knocked down his first triple as a Sixer, Yabusele converted an and-one, and suddenly the Sixers were within a few baskets. Their defense is what led their charge back into the game, as they held the Raptors to just 21 points in the frame.

    Toronto’s lead was trimmed to two points with a few moments left in the third quarter, but the Sixers made too many mistakes offensively. The Raptors were able to extent their lead to six points heading into the fourth quarter. Among the lowlights were consecutive tough breaks for Council, who did not know where to be to begin a possession that devolved into a Gordon-Yabusele pick-and-roll, leading to a turnover. The second-year wing missed a wide open three-point attempt the next time down the floor.

    Raptors open final frame on major run

    The Sixers needed to make a strong push to begin the fourth quarter in Toronto. They did the opposite, watching as the Raptors jumped out to a 15-2 run in just under five minutes of play. It was a complete catastrophe for the Sixers, who appear to be doing nothing particularly well on either end of the floor through a pair of games.

    The most troubling aspect of the Sixers’ losses — particularly Friday night’s no-show…

    Maxey can’t get things going offensively

    Maxey is an All-Star point guard with an extensive track record of being a terrific offensive player, but the Sixers are going to need him to score efficiently when Embiid and George are sidelined. The team’s aggressiveness in managing Embiid’s workload has already become a source of tremendous controversy; George will experience lighter monitoring but still not necessarily be available on a nightly basis during the regular season. All of that heightens the importance of Maxey’s efficiency as the focal point.

    During his NBA career, Maxey has displayed remarkable stamina, which has enabled him to log massive minutes totals. But that is even more taxing when you are the team’s only consistent perimeter scorer and not exactly in midseason form with the season just having started.

    Maxey’s 10-for-31 shooting performance against Milwaukee was a tough watch, but he was the victim of many bad bounces on shots that usually fall. In this one, he posted one of the worst shooting performances of his career — and most of his misses were not even close. Maxey also looked exhausted for much of the second half, missing plenty of shots well short — including an airball — and getting beat on multiple back cuts where he just fell asleep.

    The final shooting line in this one for Maxey: 6-for-23. Simply put, the Sixers will need him to be a whole lot better moving forward.

    Up next: The Sixers finish up a quick, two-game road trip on Sunday afternoon when they face the Pacers. They will then return home for a pair of contests before heading out on a West Coast trip.

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  • Instant observations: Undermanned Sixers drop season opener to red-hot Bucks

    Instant observations: Undermanned Sixers drop season opener to red-hot Bucks

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    Finally, the Sixers began their season Wednesday night, playing host to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were without Khris Middleton, but the Sixers experienced far greater losses in Joel Embiid and Paul George.

    Right off the bat, a revamped Sixers roster led by head coach Nick Nurse had its depth tested. An upset win for the Sixers would have lifted spirits, but Lillard and co. had different ideas. Milwaukee was on the money from beyond the arc all night long, and the Sixers could not muster enough offense to match.

    Here is what stood out from the Sixers’ 124-109 loss, dropping them to 0-1 on the young season:

    Nurse goes with Eric Gordon and KJ Martin in his starting five

    Gordon became the clear favorite to start over Caleb Martin midway through the preseason — Nurse is excited about the floor spacing Gordon can provide that unit and thinks Caleb Martin can give bench lineups a necessary infusion of energy. Nurse said before the game that Martin is “clearly” one of the team’s five best players and that his minutes would reflect that.

    With George out, Nurse opted to go with KJ Martin, who has impressed and looked considerably more comfortable during all of training camp and preseason. Martin is a remarkable athlete, which lends itself to Nurse’s renewed emphasis on pushing the pace. The fifth-year wing serves as a quality defender across at least three positions and has become an impressive passer and decision-maker in short-roll situations. Whether or not KJ Martin can consistently knock down open threes moving forward will determine his long-term fate; he spent the summer working with a shooting coach and refined his hand placement in hopes of seeing better results.

    Early jitters on both sides to open season

    The first timeout of the game came about halfway through the first quarter, with the score knotted at 10. The teams shot a combined 7-24 from the field during that opening burst, including Tyrese Maxey knocking down his first look — a three — before missing his next five shot attempts.

    Elsewhere, Andre Drummond was dominant on the glass early, pulling six rebounds and turning one of his offensive boards into a bucket. Caleb Martin came off the bench a bit earlier than anticipated when Antetokounmpo got KJ Martin in foul trouble and immediately did exactly what Nurse said he hoped to see the former Heat wing do: crash the glass. Antetokounmpo failed to box out, and Caleb Martin turned it into a layup for Oubre. Caleb Martin’s offensive rebounding stood out early, an extremely encouraging sign for Nurse.

    As the Sixers’ primary scoring options, Maxey and Oubre were struggling early to put the ball in the basket, but strong defense from the Sixers — including an Antetokounmpo transition turnover forced by Gordon — made up for it.

    Some rotation questions answered

    The first substitution of the season was the aforementioned swap of Martins, but the next reserve to check in was Guerschon Yabusele. Yabusele replaced Oubre, allowing him to log a few minutes at power forward before Oubre returned to replace Drummond, sliding Yabusele up to the five.

    Yabusele’s first NBA shot attempt in many years was a wide open corner three, and he cashed it.

    As expected, Kyle Lowry checked in as well, replacing Gordon. Nurse will still have Maxey and Lowry share the floor a decent bit; he prefers having as many ball-handlers on the floor at once as possible.

    The one surprise was that Nurse opted to go with an eight-man rotation in the first half, choosing to not play any of his deeper reserves — most notably rookie Jared McCain. 

    Maxey shows aggression early

    Whenever Embiid and George are out — and that may not be an infrequent occurrence — the Sixers need Maxey to be as aggressive as possible scoring the ball. Nurse has spent the entirety of his time in Philadelphia getting on Maxey, telling the All-Star point guard that he can continue to increase his scoring volume.

    Maxey only shot 3-11 from the field in the first quarter, but just that amount of shot attempts alone is exactly what Nurse continues to long for on a consistent basis.

    To top it off, Maxey gave the Sixers a 23-22 lead at the first-quarter buzzer after putting together a nasty series of moves.

    Ultimately, the Sixers’ early offense looked like that of a team with several new pieces that was missing an MVP candidate and a nine-time All-Star. This is all a work in progress.

    Another note on Maxey: it was clear that a focus for him during the offseason was regaining the sort of comfort in between the three-point line and restricted area that he had when he first entered the league, and he had quite a few shot attempts in the mid-range area early on, including this floater:

    Maxey was far too reliant on his floater when he entered the NBA, but abandoning it entirely was not necessarily the ideal pivot. Perhaps it will return to his arsenal in his fifth professional season.

    Bucks make a run to end first half

    The last several minutes of the second quarter were not kind to the Sixers. First, their offense stagnated — predictably, this was most apparent while Maxey rested — then they finally strung together some strong offensive possessions but saw Milwaukee get hot from beyond the arc. 

    Perhaps a larger issue was the Sixers repeatedly committing fouls on the defensive end. By the time intermission had arrived, Drummond, KJ Martin and Oubre each had three fouls, while Yabusele — who banked in a shot to beat the second-quarter buzzer — had two.

    The Sixers have made a calculated risk in embracing athleticism and positional versatility instead of size and strength. That trade-off provides plenty of positive results, but it also makes them susceptible to the occasional bully-ball bucket or easy foul-drawing against a team like Milwaukee that has tremendous muscle across the board.

    In addition to Antetokounmpo posting 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists in just 15 first-half minutes, Bobby Portis torched the Sixers’ second unit to the tune of 13 points, three rebounds and three assists in the game’s opening 24 minutes.

    MORE: NBA to investigate Sixers re: Joel Embiid

    Looking for a spark, Nurse goes to Ricky Council IV, but Milwaukee push persists

    By the halfway point of the third quarter, boos were beginning to get louder in South Philadelphia as the Bucks continued to rain triples. Milwaukee increased its lead to 18, and Nurse decided to try changing the pace of the game a bit by going to Ricky Council IV. Council did not do enough during training camp and preseason to earn a regular rotation role, but the Sixers still see real potential with the second-year wing. At the moment, this role is probably his optimal one: not a player who is relied on for nightly contributions, but is around when the energy needs to shift.

    There was a moment when the building had juice again — Yabsuele converted an and-one thanks to a great dish from Lowry, and the Sixers forced a Bucks turnover. But Maxey was blocked at the rim by Brook Lopez and Lillard drew a foul, then Yabusele got called for a moving screen and Lillard knocked down his fifth triple of the night. Suddenly, Milwaukee’s lead was back up to 17.

    For what it’s worth, Council did knock down a three on his first shot attempt of the season, a spot-up attempt from the left wing. A barrage of Lillard threes came before it, though, putting the Sixers in a major hole.

    Sixers struggle at the free throw line

    The Sixers led the NBA in free throws made per game while also being second-best in free throw percentage in 2023-24, but that is powered by a legendary foul-drawer in Embiid. On Wednesday night, they struggled at the line. By the time the third quarter was over, they had already missed eight free throws (15-23).

    When you are short-handed to the degree the Sixers were without Embiid and George and you are facing a team that is red-hot from beyond the arc, there is no margin for error at the free throw line. This is not exactly an indicator of a long-term problem, but it is a frustrating one to deal with when so many things are already working against a team.

    Strong night for Sixers bench

    There was not a ton to be excited about from an offensive perspective for the Sixers for much of this game, but they did see three reserves give them healthy doses of scoring. Caleb Martin and Yabusele were each in double-figures while also playing strong defense and doing a little bit of everything else, while Lowry was a calming presence with his ball-handling, passing and three-point shooting.

    Too often, the Sixers were unable to play quality offense for more than a few possessions in a row, but their best spurts on that end of the floor came when Lowry was in the game. 

    A wild stat on Lowry’s longevity, courtesy of the Sixers:

    Lowry is a future Hall of Fame inductee, and it is pretty cool that the Philadelphia native and Villanova product could end his playing career with his hometown team.

    Despite a valiant effort, Sixers have too little too late

    The Sixers were able to make a few brief runs in the fourth quarter, but Maxey’s subpar performance in combination with Milwaukee’s three-point excellence and the Sixers’ lack of offensive firepower beyond their All-Star point guard was enough for plenty of folks to be hitting the exits with four minutes or so left in the game.

    There was a decent amount to like from the short-handed Sixers, but a whole lot more to be concerned about.

    Up next: The Sixers will travel to Toronto, where they have a Friday night matchup against the rebuilding Raptors. 

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • What to Expect From Sixers’ Season – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    What to Expect From Sixers’ Season – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Last year, the Sixers finished the season with the 7th seed in the Easter conference. Earlier in the season, they projected to finish with a much higher seed since they went 31-8 in games with Joel Embiid. Due to injury, Embiid missed most of the season so they finished with a 47-35 record. Now that Embiid wants to prioritize rest and load management, what kind of record can we expect them to have?

    Guaranteed Games without Embiid

    Embiid has stated that he will not play in back to backs ever in his career. This season the Sixers have 15 back to back games scheduled, and Embiid is already slated to miss the first three games. That totals up to 64 games played by itself with no additional injuries/soreness. We know Embiid will not stay healthy even with that limited schedule. Realistically, Embiid will probably miss another 10-15 games due to injuries and such. Maybe more if this knee thing is worse than their saying (which is extremely possible – maybe likely). Combining that with the back to backs brings us to around 57 games this season without any serious injuries. That’s a lot of games.

    How Will They Play Without Embiid?

    Like I said, the Sixers went 31-8 in the 39 games with him last year. That averages out to a record of 61-21 which would have put them at the two seed in the East.

    That being said, without Embiid, they went 16-27 in games without them. This resulted in them finishing with the seventh seed and almost missing the playoffs.

    If we translate that winning percentage (41.8%) into the 25 games that Embiid will hypothetically miss, and the 57 games that he hopefully plays in with last year’s percentage (74.2%), they would total up to a record of 52-30. That also would have put them at second in the conference last year.

    Obviously that is hypothetical math, but if they do the exact same thing as last year they will still contend heavily in the standings. They should do even better than that.

    Much Improved Roster

    With the signing of Paul George, Caleb Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, Andre Drummond, and the (almost just as beneficial) loss of Tobias Harris, the Sixers should do better than they last year in games without Embiid. George specifically should be able to alleviate a lot of pressure on Embiid which could keep him healthier to play more games. If that happens, then the Sixers should be able to compete for a number one seed this season.

     

     

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • Instant observations: Sixers fly high in preseason victory over Nets

    Instant observations: Sixers fly high in preseason victory over Nets

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    In their penultimate preseason exhibition, the Sixers played host to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Joel Embiid and Paul George were out of commission, as Embiid continues to work on the management of his left knee and George begins recovering from his left knee bone bruise. Kyle Lowry was in street clothes as well, as the veteran point guard was given the night off. For Brooklyn, Ben Simmons rested as well.

    Here is what jumped out from the Sixers’ 117-95 win/loss in their second and final home preseason game on Wednesday night:

    First Quarter

    • After making a change to his starting lineup before Monday night’s game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said he would alter his opening five again — and replacing George was KJ Martin, playing alongside Tyrese Maxey, Eric Gordon, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond.

    Once again, Nurse is signaling that he prefers to use wing Caleb Martin — who was expected to start at power forward for the Sixers — in a bench role. Caleb Martin often thrived as a reserve during his successful three-year stint with the Miami Heat, and Nurse believes he provides what the Sixers need in their second unit.

    “[Caleb Martin] is going to give us some energy off the bench, which I thought we lacked in the previous games, so we’re trying to solve that equation a little bit,” Nurse said after Tuesday’s practice. “It splits up Kyle [Lowry] and Eric [Gordon], which is also part of the plan. Just kind of maneuvering through different looks. And I think it’ll be pretty fluid as we go for a while.”

    Ultimately, how many minutes each player receives — and which ones are on the floor at the ends of close games — are far more important issues than which ones start. Expect the situation to evolve throughout the season.

    • Speaking of Gordon, it is becoming extremely apparent why Nurse likes the idea of the veteran sharpshooter being in his starting five. Gordon is one of the most accomplished three-point shooters of all time, and his reputation as a willing launcher carries serious weight when opposing defenses gameplan for any team he is part of. Gordon knocked down a pair of triples within five minutes and change of tip-off, and what stood out on each one was his complete lack of hesitation. Unlike many players who boast similar shooting skills, Gordon is perfectly happy to fire away every time down the floor if the opportunities present themselves.

    Moments later, Gordon read Nets guard Cam Thomas’ eyes perfectly and stole what Thomas thought would be a simple pass. Gordon ignited a transition possession and finished at the rim.

    •  The best highlight of the first quarter on Wednesday: Maxey throwing a transition lob so appetizing that Oubre and KJ Martin both went up looking to hammer home an alley-oop dunk. Oubre ended up the winner, and essentially dunked on his own teammate. Brooklyn called timeout, and Oubre and the rest of KJ Martin’s teammates playfully mocked him for getting posterized.

    Moments later, though, KJ Martin was able to get in on the fun, throwing down an alley-oop pass from Maxey in a half-court setting. He caught Thomas sleeping and took off in the direction of the basket. Maxey found him instantly:

    KJ Martin is a remarkable athlete, and during his minutes with the Sixers last season his abilities to display that were limited. Asked about Nurse placing an emphasis on playing at a fast pace in the 2024-25 season after the team’s shootaround on Wednesday morning, the fifth-year forward lit up.

    “It’s fun for me,” Martin said. “I love running down the floor and being able to jump… Especially with Tyrese in the game, we talk a lot, trying to bring the pace of the game up.”

    MORE: Sixers player preview: Is KJ Martin more than a trade chip?

    Second Quarter

    • Oubre’s three-point stroke came and went for much of his first season in Philadelphia, as his accuracy from beyond the arc fluctuated wildly. His most reliable skill on that end of the floor is his ability to pressure the rim. His finishing once he gets near the basket is imperfect, but he is terrific at getting a downhill start towards the restricted area. That was on full display Wednesday, as Oubre attempted seven free throws in the first half. He had everything working offensively, and it all stems from his driving ability. After establishing that he could get to the rim at will, Oubre knocked down a pair of pull-up triple when a Brooklyn defender felt the need to sag off in preparation for a drive. 

    • Guerschon Yabusele has impressed in the preseason, but the overwhelming majority of his minutes have come at center. Yabusele said after Tuesday’s practice that playing the five was not part of the role the Sixers had pitched to him when he signed with the team, but that he was comfortable playing anywhere. Nurse admitted before Wednesday’s game that the arrangement has largely been used out of necessity, as Embiid has not appeared in the preseason (and will not do so). 

    Nurse said that while he has seen more than enough to be comfortable using Yabusele as a small-ball center, he wishes he had more of a sample using the French Olympic standout at power forward, his natural position. Nurse indicated that Yabusele would see time at the four on Wednesday, and he did spend just over two minutes playing alongside Drummond near the end of the first half.

    Yabusele ended the first half on a high note, intercepting an inbounds pass from under the Sixers’ basket and driving to the rim for a two-handed slam that just barely beat the buzzer.

    MORE: Sixers player preview: Can Guerschon Yabusele leave a mark in his second NBA opportunity?

    • An interesting note: Brooklyn attempted 31 three-pointers in the first half, a gargantuan total. In the 2023-24 regular season, the Celtics led all NBA teams with 42.5 three-point attempts per game. 

    Third Quarter

    • It felt as if the Sixers left some meat on the bone in terms of attempting corner threes last season, but they did knock down a pair of corner triples early in the third quarter. On the team’s first offensive possession of the second half, Yabusele freed himself up in transition and drilled a shot from the right corner. A few moments later, Ricky Council IV connected from the opposite corner off of an assist from Jared McCain.

    After a strong preseason debut, Council has struggled as far as impressing during these exhibitions. It seems far-fetched that the second-year wing will be in Nurse’s regular rotation to begin the season, but the potential that exists with the fan favorite remains obvious. 

    • Speaking of McCain, the rookie first-round pick received first quarter minutes on Wednesday — and given Gordon’s apparent status as a starter, if George misses any time in the regular season, McCain being part of Nurse’s second unit seems increasingly likely. It does not sound like George is at risk of missing a considerable amount of games to begin the season, but he certainly is not a lock to be on the floor on Oct. 23 when the Milwaukee Bucks come to town.

    MORE: Sixers say Paul George has bone bruise but no structural damage, will be re-evaluated in approximately one week

    • Two-way guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. entered to open the second half and had a few strong flashes of self-creation. 

    Dowtin is a serviceable shooter, not a great one, and only has okay burst, but manages to thrive in isolation opportunities thanks to an interesting mix of dribble moves and changes of pace. 

    Fourth Quarter

    • McCain returned to the game to begin its final frame with an opportunity to serve as the Sixers’ primary ball-handler. He knocked down a picture-perfect triple, and on the next possession drove to the basket and kicked it out to two-way guard Lester Quinones for a three of his own.

    • Far and away the best highlight of the second half came a few minutes into the fourth quarter. McCain got beat off the dribble, but his draft classmate Adem Bona came to his aid with a stellar block of veteran point guard Dennis Schröder. Dowtin led the Sixers in transition and dished out a gorgeous no-look dime to rookie two-way wing Justin Edwards for an easy slam. It was about as exciting of a play as you will find in the fourth quarter of a preseason game.

    • All in all, this was a strong showing for much of the Sixers’ roster — including depth pieces like Dowtin, Quinones, Edwards and Bona outperforming many of Brooklyn’s regular rotation players who remained in the game down the stretch. But the night ended on a bit of a sour note, when McCain took a hard fall and appeared to be in an immense amount of pain. After a moment, McCain was able to sit up, and after another minute he was on his feet being helped to the locker room.

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Sixers’ latest Joel Embiid medical update should not set off alarm bells… yet

    Sixers’ latest Joel Embiid medical update should not set off alarm bells… yet

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    The Sixers have been surrounded by unusually upbeat vibes since the summer. They added a nine-time All-Star in Paul George, while Tyrese Maxey earned a five-year deal and Joel Embiid inked a three-year contract extension. Their training camp in The Bahamas was an opportunity for a new-look roster to gel on the floor and bond away from it. Suddenly, a team notorious for entering seasons with dark clouds hanging over it had little to worry about.

    Except for that one thing.

    Sunday afternoon — right as the Philadelphia Eagles defense made a crucial fourth-quarter stand in the red zone to maintain their lead over the Cleveland Browns — the Sixers released a medical update regarding Embiid and his left knee. The update disclosed that Embiid will not appear in this year’s preseason.

    Embiid did not scrimmage for the entirety of the Sixers’ five-day camp at the beginning of the month, did not suit up for the team’s home opener in the preseason and did not travel for their following two road exhibitions. The team was adamant that this was all part of the plan to keep Embiid healthy for the duration of the regular season, hopefully leading to his first playoff run at full health in what will be nearly a half-decade.

    MORE: Sixers say Joel Embiid will not play in preseason “as part of left knee management”

    When I started covering sports, I quickly decided that I would never tell a fan how they should feel about their teams and/or players.

    The entirety of the Sixers’ championship aspirations are reliant on that knee — and the rest of Embiid’s seven-foot, 280-pound body — holding up over the course of an 82-game regular season and two-month playoff run in a way that it never has before. The prospect of Embiid going down and the Sixers immediately watching their NBA Finals dreams evaporate is daunting in its likelihood.

    So, I will not tell you to not worry about Embiid’s knee. But what I will do is explain why I am not in panic mode… yet.

    Far too often, the Sixers have tried to play catch-up preserving Embiid’s health. He logs too many minutes, plays in too many back-to-backs, suffers an injury and then the team scrambles for answers to get him back on the floor without jeopardizing his viability in the playoffs. It has never worked.

    During the winter, there were warning signs that Embiid’s knee was faltering. He took an enormous amount of heat after being a last-minute scratch in a game against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets. Just three nights after being pulled out of a nationally televised game that was supposed to pit the two best players in the NBA against one another, Embiid was back on the floor in a road contest against the Golden State Warriors, and everybody remembers what happened. It would be 63 days until he played in another game.

    So, remember the version of yourself that existed in the days after the Sixers were eliminated in the first round of last year’s playoffs by the New York Knicks. The teams played a six-game series that featured Embiid dealing with, among other things, an injury to the same left knee that had not yet fully recovered following a two-month absence caused by a procedure that was required on Embiid’s meniscus. Embiid left it all out on the floor for six hard-fought games but was extremely limited, reduced to limping around for much of the series.

    Immediately following that series, if someone presented a plan for Embiid that included playing just 16.8 minutes per game across only five contests (84 total minutes) for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics — and a methodical ramp-up process during training camp and the preseason that helped set the tone for a year marked by discipline on Embiid’s part, the reception would be overwhelmingly positive.

    Is it impossible that this is what is happening now? At the team’s Media Day on Sept. 30, Embiid spoke like he never had before about the premium he and the Sixers will place on his physical well-being throughout the regular season to ensure he is in the best condition possible for April, May and June.

    “There’s no agenda,” Embiid said. “There’s no All-Star, no All-NBA, none of that. It’s whatever it takes to make sure that I get to [the playoffs] and I’m ready to go.” 

    Joel Embiid says he wants to scale back offensive role: ‘I really have a lot of confidence in these guys to figure it out’

    Too much fan trauma has been accumulated over the years from Sixers medical updates for Sunday afternoon’s release to do anything other than stir commotion. The Sixers know that and Embiid knows that. For as long as Embiid is the Sixers’ franchise cornerstone, fans will be in a perpetual state of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

    There is not a single thing Embiid or the Sixers can say or do right now to quell concerns about whether or not the former NBA MVP will be delivered to the playoffs at full strength. But Embiid finally being willing to fully embrace a plan based on discipline — an extremely uncomfortable proposition for a hypercompetitive athlete constantly attempting to shed his “injury-prone” label — would be as significant of a development for the Sixers’ championship hopes as any trade or signing could be.

    Preseason games can be valuable, especially for teams like the Sixers with revamped rosters, but they do not count for anything. What is happening now is not the true test of how seriously all parties involved are taking the challenge of getting Embiid to the playoffs healthy. The real challenge will arrive the Sixers have lost three of their last four games and five of their last seven games and have a game coming up against a very good team on the second leg of a back-to-back. The difficulty will arise when the Sixers realize that the difference in Embiid playing 32 minutes and 39 minutes in a particular game very well may determine whether or not they win a game. 

    My concerns will be far greater if the Sixers fail those tests — again — than they are right now. 

    Like it or not, the Sixers do not get to operate with the benefit of the doubt on matters like this. The reaction to Sunday’s medical update on Embiid is not fueled by concern over Embiid building chemistry with some new teammates in a preseason game or two. Rather, it is the result of fatigue stemming from yet another mad rush of media members posting a screenshot of a message with the heading “JOEL EMBIID MEDICAL UPDATE.”

    Welcome back to Sixers basketball.

    MORE: Joel Embiid signs a three-year contract extension with the Sixers. Can he finally get the job done?

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • The Legacy of Allen Iverson with the Philadelphia 76ers – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Legacy of Allen Iverson with the Philadelphia 76ers – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.

    Allen Iverson electrified the Philadelphia 76ers and perhaps left his indelible mark on the league.
    The electrifying crossovers that sent fans delirious, the fearless play, and relentless determination – all these made Iverson an icon of popular culture, a winner of one MVP, and several scoring titles.

    It was one of those legacies that were never to be forgotten; his style and resilience in the game encapsulated not only in the medals and accolades he was accorded but right down to a statue at the team’s training complex.

    Early Years and Draft

    Allen Iverson was born in Hampton, Virginia, on June 7, 1975. He was famously known as “The Answer” in which his moniker spoke to his flashy game and how he could take over ballgames despite his lack of height. From a tender age, he was greatly talented in both basketball and football, an athletic marvel. He attended high school and had numerous brilliant careers. His skills were so great that he warranted a scholarship towards attending Georgetown University, where he was playing for Coach John Thompson.An instant force in his two years at Georgetown, Iverson averaged 23 points a game and took home the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award twice. His performances and dazzling style on the court did not get past the NBA scouts during that process. Iverson made history in 1996 when he became the first overall draft pick by the Philadelphia 76ers during the NBA Draft.

    Rookie Season and Immediate Impact

    Allen Iverson’s rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers was one for change. Picked No. 1 overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, Iverson immediately proved he could hold his own, averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.1 steals a night.His electrifying manner of play was coupled with a no-fear attitude that raised him above the competition, as epitomized by his unforgettable crossover on Michael Jordan in March of 1997-more than words as it spoke volumes about agility combined with confidence. Iverson merited the NBA Rookie of the Year Award because that was what immediate impact was supposed to look and feel like. This also made him a crowd favorite when it came to betting on basketball on platforms like Betway.

    Iverson brought hope and excitement into the 76ers new era, in simple words, with his fresh energy to poor performance by the franchise, becoming the beacon of hope for his team and the first to consolidate his legacy in town because he can break defenses and create scoring opportunities.

    Allen Iverson’s Career Highlights

    The NBA season of 2000-2001 was the defining chapter of Allen Iverson’s career, which established him among the all-time greats the sport has ever produced. He led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals, and there, his performance was superb as he topped the league in scoring and drove his team with incredible speed and agility. Iverson captured the MVP on May 15, 2001, with 1,121 points, including 93 of 124 first-place votes, to become the first 76ers player to win the honor since Moses Malone in 1983. At just 6 feet and 165 pounds, he became the shortest player and lightest player ever to win the MVP. The accomplishment put an exclamation point on his remarkable talent and will to succeed. His persistence and leadership were key in the playoff run and Eastern Conference title won by the Sixers.

    Signature Playing Style and Influence

    Apr 12, 2024; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson during the unveiling of the statue honoring him in a ceremony at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
    PHOTO: Bill Streicher/Imagn Images

    Allen Iverson was a player who never showed any fear for his Philadelphia 76ers, constantly pressuring the rim. Standing at a mere six feet tall, the quickness and agility were only sufficient to take him through the defenders press – a nightmare within their minds. His crossover dribble became fabled across the league, which gained him respect everywhere.

    Off the court, Iverson was even more influential on the culture of the game. With his charismatic personality and his very peculiar, now ubiquitous, sense of fashion – most notably, his tattoos and braids – basketball culture wasn’t as stiff anymore: players could be themselves. The shift symbolized a broader transformation in the N.B.A., now melding sport and style together in ways it never had before.

    Allen Iverson, A Lasting Legacy with Philadelphia

    Allen Iverson’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers showcased brilliance and fight. Tabbed first overall in the 1996 Draft, he never wasted a single second and soon turned out to be a sight to behold while winning NBA Rookie of the Year on his way to eventually netting four scoring titles and the 2001 MVP award.

    It’s more than just a great set of numbers; Iverson’s brazen attitude and one-of-a-kind style have indelibly marked basketball culture, inspiring legions of players to inject their individuality into a game they love.
    His legacy extends beyond the court, breaking barriers in self-expression and continuing to resonate with fans and athletes alike.

    PHOTO: Bill Streicher/Imagn Images

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    PHLSportsNation

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  • Remembers Dikembe Mutombo’s Best Game as a Sixers – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Remembers Dikembe Mutombo’s Best Game as a Sixers – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    As everyone knows, Dikembe Mutombo just passed away at the young age of 58. Unfortunately, this premature death cam from his battle with brain cancer. To remember his legacy, let’s reminisce on his best and most impactful performance for the Sixers.

    Controversy?

    With Allen Iverson winning MVP that year, many basketball fans around the country (especially Milwaukee) suspected that the Sixers were “favored” by the NBA to win the series and go on to the finals to play another big market team in The Lakers. As the series went on, the Bucks determined the refs cheated them. Ray Allen said after game 6 that “It behooves everybody for the league to make more money, and the league knows that Philadelphia is going to make more money with L.A. than we would with L.A.”

    He pulled out the classic take no accountability for losing coping strategy.

    I’m a firm believer that the league isn’t rigged and people make that up to feel better about their loss. In reality, the Bucks just played poorly that series and they could barely stop a Milwaukee team that hardly beat the Sixers without Iverson in game 3.

    That being said, the Bucks were in pure whine-mode heading into game 7 in Philly.

    Dikembe Dominates

    What’s the best way to quiet the hater? Go out and dominate the game. The complaints from the Bucks must have motivated Mutombo to do just that. He and Iverson set the tone in game 7.

    With Scott Williams suspended for game 7, the Bucks lost a decent rebounding role player who averaged just under 6 rebounds and over a block per game that series. Iverson and Mutombo took advantage of a weaker playoff rotation. Iverson scored a game-high 44 points and Mutombo led the game with 19 rebounds and 7 blocks. Mutombo took charge by physically out-dueling the whole Bucks team. He obviously took the whining personally which sent him on a mission to put an end to the disrespect.

    His Legacy Still Lingers

    Even though Mutombo only spent under two years in Philly, he still holds a spot in our hearts today. Because of his strong play, he ended a 17 year finals drought for the team. After that the Sixers have gone on a 22 year drought that still goes on today. Without his performance, I and millions of other Philadelphians would not have had a 76ers finals run in our lifetimes. Hopefully that changes soon, but those finals still reminisce in our minds today.

    Rest in peace Mutombo. Thanks for allowing the Iverson “Step Over” to happen.

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • Philadelphia 76ers: Anticipating the 2024-25 Season – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Philadelphia 76ers: Anticipating the 2024-25 Season – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.

    As September 2024 unfolds, the Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season.

    While the official start is still weeks away, there’s plenty to discuss about the team’s current state and prospects.

    Offseason Developments

    The Sixers’ front office has maintained a relatively quiet offseason, focusing on stability rather than major shake-ups. The team’s most significant move was re-signing sharpshooting forward Georges Niang to a two-year deal, ensuring continuity in their rotation.The front office didn’t stop there, adding several veteran players to bolster the roster. Andre Drummond made a return to Philadelphia, signing a multi-year contract to shore up the center position behind Embiid. Sharpshooter Eric Gordon joined on a multi-year deal, bringing his scoring punch to the backcourt. Perhaps most notably, the Sixers added veteran point guard Kyle Lowry, whose leadership and playoff experience will be invaluable. Caleb Martin was another free-agent acquisition, further deepening the team’s wing rotation.As the team gears up for the upcoming season, fans can look forward to these exciting additions and even place bets on the next 76ers games at Mega Dice. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just enjoy the thrill of sports betting, following the Sixers this season promises to be an engaging experience both on and off the court.

    The Embiid-Maxey Core

    Joel Embiid, the franchise cornerstone, is coming off another impressive season. Recent reports indicate he’s been working diligently on his conditioning, aiming to stay healthy for a full campaign. His partnership with Tyrese Maxey continues to be a focal point for the team’s success.Maxey, entering his fifth NBA season, has shown steady improvement year over year. Last season saw him average career-highs in points and assists, and expectations are high for his continued development.

    Tactical Adjustments

    PHOTO: FreePik

    Head coach Nick Nurse, now in his third season with the Sixers, has hinted at some strategic tweaks for the upcoming year. In recent media sessions, he’s emphasized a desire to increase the team’s pace and three-point attempts, aligning with current NBA trends.

    A perennial concern for the Sixers is managing Joel Embiid’s workload. The team’s medical staff has been working on strategies to keep Embiid healthy for the entire season and potential playoff run. This approach may impact the team’s regular-season record but is crucial for long-term success.

    Eastern Conference Outlook

    The Eastern Conference remains highly competitive. While it’s premature to make definitive predictions, analysts generally place the Sixers among the top contenders, alongside teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat.

    Young Talent Development and What’s to Come

    Keep an eye on third-year player Jaden Springer. After showing flashes of potential in limited minutes last season, there’s a buzz around the organization about his off-season progress. The coaching staff has hinted at an expanded role for Springer in the upcoming season.As training camp approaches, there are still many unknowns about how the 2024-25 season will unfold for the 76ers. The team’s success will likely hinge on Embiid’s health, Maxey’s continued growth, and how well the supporting cast performs in Nurse’s system.

    As October draws near, Sixers fans have a reason for cautious optimism.
    The coming months will reveal whether Philadelphia can translate its potential into success on the court and make a deep playoff run in the competitive Eastern Conference.

    PHOTO: FreePik

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    PHLSportsNation

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  • Rankings the Last 6 Sixers’ Opening Day Rosters – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Rankings the Last 6 Sixers’ Opening Day Rosters – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    After Jimmy Butler left, the Sixers have had a tough time building a roster worth of a championship. Between striking out on free agents to players holding out, there has not been much luck coming their way. Let’s take a look at how the opening day rosters stack up against each other after Butler’s departure.

    6.

    2021-2022

    Record: 51-31, 4th in East

    Roster: Danny Green, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Andre Drummond, Georges Niang, Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, Charles Bassey, Jaden Springer, Paul Reed, Isaiah Joe

    This was a disappointing, yet inevitable, beginning to the season. After such a terrible loss to the Hawks, where Ben Simmons passes up an easy bucket against Trae Young, Simmons received so much hate from fans and media, that he couldn’t play for the team anymore. He decided to hold out for a trade.

    Since Simmons held out, that really hurt the Sixers roster to start the year. They lost their all-star point guard and had to turn over the reigns to a second-year player with much to prove: Tyrese Maxey. This nonsense helped Tyrese Maxey’s growth tremendously by giving him so much playing time.

    Nevertheless, Maxey was nowhere near the player he is today, and the Sixers just didn’t have enough firepower from players other than Embiid to play that well to start the season. Tobias Harris never stepped up during his career here and no other player had the talent to help out Embiid.

    5.

    2023-2024

    Record: 47-35, 7th in East

    Roster: P.J. Tucker, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton, Tyrese Maxey, Danny Green, Patrick Beverly, Kelly Oubre, Jaden Springer, Paul Reed

    Last year, the Sixers had to go through yet another season of conflict and strife. After just a year and a half removed from the Ben Simmons debacle, James Harden decided to hold out from the team too. This caused a lot of disdain from fans to organization and many people started to really lose interest (if they hadn’t already).

    Had James Harden stayed, the Sixers would have had a pretty good supporting cast for Joel Embiid. Even though he didn’t, they played well without him, going 22-10 from October to December. Unfortunately, disaster struck in this season later when Embiid tore his meniscus.

    Everyone knew they needed to get something in a trade to do damage in the playoffs, but the market did not have a big move in store for them which forced the Sixers to be compensated with draft picks and minor players. This season was over before it started just like when Ben Simmons held out.

    4.

    2019-2020

    Record: 43-30, 6th in East

    Roster: Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Joel Embiid, Al Horford, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, Mike Scott, Kyle O’Quinn, James Ennis , Raul Neto, Furkan Korkmaz

    Going into this season, the Sixers had high expectations. They have a solid core with an exciting young player in Josh Richardson to go along side of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris. Additionally, they just acquired Joel Embiid’s kryptonite (at the time). With Al Horford, Sixers fans imagined a dominant front court where no guard could come and score with two big men capable of scoring inside and outside of the three point line. Unfortunately, this team did not live up to expectations.

    After just a few months of play, everyone realized this team didn’t fit right. They lacked perimeter scoring more than anything. Horford and Embiid took away from each other much more than they built each other up. Because of these issues, the team was forced to make many moves during the season to bolster their depleted bench and lack of scoring.

    It’s important to note that this was the COVID year, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that this team had major holes and would end up getting swept by the Celtics in the playoffs.

    3.

    2020-21

    Record: 49-23, First in East

    Roster: Danny Green, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dwight Howard, Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey

    After a year with lackluster shooting from the outside, the Sixers corrected that issue by signing Seth Curry and Danny Green – two players who shoot the three better than anyone they had the last year. These two can also hold their own on defense since they were only ever asked to guard the worst player. With defensive stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, it made playing defense much easier for the rest of the team. They had the 2nd best defensive rating in the league that year.

    The Sixers were also excited to have offloaded Al Horford from the team and replace him with a backup-only center. He would strictly play minutes where Embiid wasn’t on the floor. While Howard boosted the teams worst trait (rebounding), he didn’t contribute much else. The Sixers rely on their centers to score, and he couldn’t do that well at all.

    For the first time in a while, the Sixers finished the regular season with the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference  (this was a shortened season because of COVID as well). This gave the city some very high expectation to go deep into the playoffs.

    The talent was there for this team, but mentally, Ben Simmons destroyed this team and would never be the same player again after the catastrophe in the 7-game loss to the Hawks in the postseason.

    2.

    2022-2023

    Record: 54-28, Third in East

    Record: P.J. Tucker, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Montrezl Harrell, Danuel House, Georges Niang, Matisse Thybulle, De’Anthony Melton.

    The Sixers finally got a star guard with MVP style play. James Harden was acquired by the team the year before via trade for Ben Simmons and the city yearned for a championship after so many years of disappointment – this finally seemed like the team.

    James Harden and Joel Embiid built chemistry through the latter half of the previous season and were expected to shine bright together as a dominant duo. They played very well together, but Harden’s ball dominant style presented some problems with Embiid’s incompatible similarity in his style.

    Luckily, Harden invested in his relationship with Tyrese Maxey which helped Maxey develop into a better version of himself. In his third year, Maxey started developing into a very solid player. This team also had talent to get the job done, but ended up falling short yet again.

    1.

    Current

    Record: TBD

    Roster: Ricky Council IV, Andre Drummond, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Kelly Oubre, Guerschon Yabusele

    Now, Tyrese Maxey is a bona fide star in the league. He and Embiid have great chemistry with each other and perfectly understand how to play along side the other. These two have grown so much together as a duo and have emerged as one of the best duos in the league.

    Then, finally, after waiting so long for a free agent star signing, the Sixers signed Paul George to accompany Embiid and Maxey on their quest to a championship. Many teams add stars just to add a star, but in this case, Paul George also happens to fit perfectly with these two. Their play styles compliment each other very well.

    The front office wasn’t finished after George, though. They also signed a power forward that will bring fire and intensity to the team. Caleb Martin will fit right into this city. He elevates his game when it matters, and plays with heart.

    Also, Andre Drummond is returning to Philly, where he served as Embiid’s best backup just a few years ago. By signing him and bringing Lowry and Oubre back, the Sixers have some continuity from years past. These players have played together before which will only help their chances of winning this year.

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • Taking a Look at the Sixers’ Futures Bets – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Taking a Look at the Sixers’ Futures Bets – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    The NBA season is just a month and a half away and all the teams (for the most part) have their rosters set. That being said, the sportsbooks have their futures bets pretty much all set for the year. Let’s take a look at the big ones for the Sixers.

    NBA Champion

    Fanduel

    has the Sixers tied for third best odds to win the championship with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks at +900. Ahead of them are the Celtics (+300) and Oklahoma City (+700).

    Every year, people usually put the Sixers in the top echelon of the Eastern conference, and each of those years, they have fallen short. Having Joel Embiid will always give a team a chance to win the championship. If Embiid can stay healthy in the playoffs for the first time in his career, then that’s good news for the Sixers championship odds. Seems like a solid bet for anybody riding high for the Sixers.

    Wins

    The Sixers are sitting at 52.5 o/u for their wins season total. Last year, the Sixers were on pace for way more than 52 wins before Embiid had his meniscus surgery. After losing him for 2 months, they finished with just 47 wins and stuck in the play-in tournament. The Celtics finished first with 64 wins, blowing away second place by 14 games.

    It’s obvious that the Sixers are better than last year. They added Paul George to take more weight off of Embiid to keep him healthier into the playoffs. Most believe they will battle the Celtics for the number 1 seed in the east, which would definitely put them above 52 wins. If the Sixers live up to expectations, then their win total will be well above 52.5. Bet the over.

    Points Leaders

    Joel Embiid trails only Luka Doncic in the race for the regular season scoring champion. At +300, most people know that Embiid will continue his scoring dominance next year. Last year he scored more points than had minutes played, so he would be a safe bet for scoring champion.

    More intriguing to see is Tyrese Maxey way down the list with +35000 odds for scoring champion. In every year of his career, Tyrese Maxey has improved his offensive game by a lot. He went from a high 20’s three point shooter to one of the best in the league in just one year. Last year he finished 15th in scoring. If he continues to get better like he has, then he could end up being a top 7-10 scorer in the league. He won’t win the scoring title, but it’s interesting to see how underrated he is around the league. He could become a top-10 player in the league this year.

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    Collin Benjamin

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  • Sixers Ties: Northwest Division

    Sixers Ties: Northwest Division

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    Let’s continue our Sixers Ties series — evaluating all connections to the team across the NBA — by heading to the Western Conference’s Northwest Division that features a few noteworthy former Sixers players and some other folks who are in some way linked to the team: 

    Sixers Ties

    Atlantic Division | Central Division | Southeast Division

    Portland Trail Blazers

    The player on Portland’s roster who is still remembered as a Sixer is Matisse Thybulle, who the team traded up for during the 2019 NBA Draft and watched blossom into one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA right off the bat. Thybulle’s inability to develop any sort of offensive utility after more than three years finally led the Sixers to move on, and they traded him to the Blazers in a three-team trade that netted them Jaden McDaniels — who also failed to become a reliable contributor. Thybulle became a restricted free agent the next summer, and signed a three-year offer sheet with a player option in the final season worth a hair over $33 million with the Dallas Mavericks. Portland opted to match the deal.

    But the Blazers also have a far more successful former Sixer on their roster. Who would have thought that when the Sixers drafted an athletic, toolsy wing with limited offensive skill with the No. 39 overall pick in 2014, Jerami Grant would become a 20-point-per-game scorer who, at the end of his current contract will have made over $242 million in career earnings?

    Grant’s offensive development has truly been astounding. When he was able to develop into a competent player on that end of the floor who could hang his hat on defense, it seemed like he had hit his 100th percentile outcome. And then a stunning leap as a scorer came, and now here we are: over the last four seasons, Grant has averaged 20.8 points per game on 57.4 true shooting.

    Trading Grant in 2016 for Ersan Ilyasova and a future first-round pick is not exactly something the Sixers will regret, though, as that draft pick turned into a player you might have heard of.

    Denver Nuggets

    It was a difficult offseason for the Nuggets, who watched starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope depart in free agency without the ability to replace him externally. First-round pick DaRon Holmes II tore his Achilles. And because they have already made so many large financial commitments, they had very little spending power. Outside of veteran’s minimum contracts, the Nuggets could sign a free agent to the taxpayer’s mid-level exception — worth a maximum of two years at just under $10.6 million.

    With that money, the Nuggets signed a new backup center: old friend Ďario Sarić, who has a second-year player option. Sarić joined the Golden State Warriors last season, opening the year as their backup center but eventually falling out of the rotation in favor of promising rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis. Sarić is a similar archetype of center to Nikola Jokić in that he is a passing-oriented big man, so perhaps the Nuggets were looking to create some stylistic continuity across their units. But considering this was their only way to spend above the minimum, it is hard to imagine that signing a declining version of Sarić was their most prudent path.

    A note: the Nuggets were in nearly the exact same position last summer, and used the tax MLE on a player who many were similarly skeptical about being worth the money. A year later, the team had to trade three second-round picks to shed the second year of their contract when the player option they put in the deal was executed. Weeks later, the player was bought out by the team that took on his money and became a free agent again. And that is how Reggie Jackson became a member of the Sixers.

    Behind Jokić and Sarić in Denver’s center rotation is former Sixer DeAndre Jordan, who for the third consecutive season will play for the minimum with the Nuggets. Jordan has been lauded for his locker room presence during his career, and that praise has never been louder than during his time in Denver.

    Oklahoma City Thunder

    Coming off a remarkable rise to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in 2023-24, the Thunder made significant improvements this offseason as they look to become perennial championship contenders. Their first move was to trade weak link Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso, an all-world defender and much-improved three-point shooter. The one-for-one swap shocked many, and it will make the Thunder considerably better on both ends of the floor. Before breaking out as a legitimate NBA player with the Los Angeles Lakers, the undrafted Caruso played for the 2016 Summer League Sixers.

    The Sixers selected Arkansas sharpshooter Isaiah Joe with the No. 49 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but ultimately decided they did not have enough time to observe his developmental process. They waived him after two seasons, but he quickly landed on his feet with the Thunder and almost immediately became the exact player the Sixers had hoped: an accurate three-point shooter on massive volume who can change the complexion of an offense with his presence alone. Joe was rewarded with a four-year, $48 million deal to remain in Oklahoma City this offseason, a worthy reward for a good player.

    When the Sixers used some leftover cap space to absorb Wilson Chandler’s expiring contract from the Nuggets in 2018, they received two second-round picks for their trouble — one of them being a 2021 second-rounder. That pick ended up being rerouted a year and a half later, when the Sixers sent it to the Golden State Warriors as part of the package that netted them both Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III.

    The following offseason, Golden State sent the pick and another future second-rounder to Oklahoma City. And with the No. 55 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Thunder selected Aaron Wiggins, an impressive young player who earned a five-year, $45 million deal this offseason as he enters his fourth NBA season. Wiggins is a quality rotation wing who, along with Joe, have helped the Thunder become one of the single deepest teams in the NBA.

    By the way, when Golden State traded those two second-rounders to Oklahoma City, one became Wiggins, and the other became Miles “Deuce” McBride, who has emerged as an excellent young player for the New York Knicks. Those two second-rounders were traded for… Kelly Oubre Jr. It’s a small world!

    The Sixers and Thunder will be keeping eyes on each other for the next couple of years. The Thunder own the Sixers’ 2025 first-round pick (as long as it does not somehow fall in the top eight), and there is a good chance the Sixers will end up with Oklahoma City’s first-rounder in 2026. The Sixers will receive the least favorable first-round pick out of Oklahoma City’s, that of the Los Angeles Clippers and that of the Houston Rockets in two years from now. It is a strong bet that the Thunder will be the best of those teams.

    Minnesota Timberwolves

    The Timberwolves do not currently have any players with connections to the Sixers on their roster, but Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has a long history with Sixers head coach Nick Nurse. 

    Nurse and Finch have been coaching with and against each other for nearly three decades. They have had rivalries and been each other’s assistants over many years, and have both spoken extensively about their friendship.

    Most recently, Finch was an assistant coach for Nurse with the Toronto Raptors before he got his first NBA head coaching job in Minnesota.

    Utah Jazz

    Signing a nine-time All-Star in Paul George is the most significant addition the Sixers made this offseason, but he is not the only starting-caliber they signed in free agency: the team waited out Caleb Martin and signed him a four-year deal worth just over $35 million that is considered well-below his true market value.

    Adding Martin, though, would not have been possible if the Sixers could not create nearly $8 million in cap space at the drop of a hat. That is exactly what they did when they waived Paul Reed, who was claimed by the Detroit Pistons.

    When teams sign restricted free agents to offer sheets, they get creative in how they structure the deals as they try to dissuade the player’s incumbent organization from matching the offer. So, last offseason, the Jazz pursued Reed and secured an agreement on an unconventional three-year deal with an atypical incentive-based structure: if whatever team Reed played for advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs, all three years of the contract would be guaranteed; if it did not, the second and third seasons of the deal would be non-guaranteed until mid-January of each season. 

    The Sixers were largely expected to at least win one playoff series and the Jazz were not — Utah’s goal was to craft a contract that was only a one-year commitment for them, but a three-year commitment for the Sixers should they choose to match the offer sheet.

    In case you have not heard, the Sixers did end up losing in the first round of last season’s playoffs — suddenly, Reed’s future in Philadelphia was in doubt. And when Martin became available — with veteran Andre Drummond already secured on a deal to return to the Sixers — it was a no-brainer to waive Reed.

    The Sixers rounded out their starting lineup this summer by signing a battle-tested, tough-minded, two-way wing in Martin. And it would not have happened if the Jazz had not gotten creative but come up unsuccessful in their quest to sign Reed last summer.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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