Throughout the season, Justin Edwards has split time between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Delaware Blue Coats. While the back-and-forth may not be what most young players hope for, the opportunity could still prove beneficial for Edwards.
The Sixers have seemingly gotten themselves back on track as of late, and it seems that head coach Nick Nurse has figured out the rotation when all, or at least most, are healthy. Unfortunately, this left very few minutes leftover for last season’s undrafted gem, Justin Edwards.
Edwards has appeared in 44 games this season but has only averaged 13.8 minutes a night. This is down significantly from the 26.3 minutes he averaged last year. In the month of February, despite three games of 17 or more minutes, the former Kentucky forward is only averaging 10.8 minutes a night. Then, the day after Edwards did not appear in the Sixers' 124-117 win over the Miami Heat, the team announced that he had been assigned to the G League.
After a 32-point performance in the Blue Coats' 143-123 victory over the Grand Rapids Gold, Edwards was brought back up to the Sixers, who were in Boston Sunday night for a matchup against the Celtics.
Edwards was one of the biggest bright spots for the Sixers last season. In a year marred by injuries for most of the Sixers' stars, Edwards impressed. In 44 games, the former top high school recruit in the nation showed flashes of shooting, ball handling, and athleticism. He averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds a night for the Sixers, shooting 45.5% from the field and 36.3% from beyond the arc.
This season, however, Edwards has struggled to get rolling. He's currently averaging only 4.6 points a night on a dismal 40.4% shooting from the field and 33.6% from beyond the arc. Some of the decrease in his counting statistics can be attributed to his reduced playing time, but his efficiency has been the real concern this year. That being said, this decrease in his shooting splits might also be due to his reduced playing time.
While Edwards has been impressive when he gets playing time this season, unfortunately, playing time has been scarce. Still, in the 12 games that Edwards has played 20 or more minutes, he has been extremely effective. In those games, he is shooting 46.5% from the field and an even more impressive 42.0% from beyond the arc. This indicates that a large reason for Edwards’ decrease in efficiency can be attributed to not being allowed to get into rhythm in games.
While it would be easy to look at this G League assignment as a step back for the young forward, this move will likely prove to be the best thing for him in the longterm. Nick Nurse has been looking for a winning rotation since Paul George’s suspension and Jared McCann’s trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Prior to their Feb. 22 win against the Timberwolves, the Sixers had gone 4-5 and needed to find a way to continue competing. Nurse has been able to field a far more competitive team as of late by using a rotation that hasn’t featured Edwards.
While Edwards may not be in the rotation at the moment, the Sixers have recognized that he still needs playing time to continue developing, so they sent him to the G League. Now, Edwards will be able to get significant on-court time that leads to more sustained success at the NBA level.
With the NBA playoffs looming and the Sixers trying to stay out of the play-in games, the Sixers need to do whatever they can to win games. Hopefully, for Edwards, he can rediscover the rhythm he had late last season in time for the Sixers' eventual playoff push.
