The Philadelphia 76ers and the word optimism do not typically go together. From the crushing playoff defeats throughout the Joel Embiid era, to the slew of injuries that turned the Sixers' most hyped team of the last decade into the fourth-worst team in the league. That being said, there are three main things that Sixers fans can hold on to when looking for optimism for next season.
Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes backcourt
While Quentin Grimes has yet to sign his contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers, the guard remains a restricted free agent and will more than likely end up playing next season with the Sixers. While there has been plenty of debate around who should start next to All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, the idea of Grimes getting the start seems to make sense.
Grimes, who started last year with the Mavericks, came to the Sixers in exchange for Caleb Martin at the NBA Trade Deadline. Grimes, who had been averaging 10.2 points per game on 46.3/39.8/76.5 shooting splits, was seen as a prototypical 3-and-D guard who could fit well next to Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt.
However, with most of the Sixers injured and a plethora of opportunities, Quentin Grimes exploded in Philadelphia. He appeared in 28 games for the Sixers, averaging a jaw-dropping 21.9 points a night on 46.9/37.3/75.2 shooting splits. While his three-point shooting did trend downward slightly, his volume more than made up for it, especially considering the sorry state the hospital Sixers were in last season.
While it would be unrealistic to assume that Grimes will be a consistent 20 point per game scorer next season for the Sixers, assuming (praying) that the team remains relatively healthy, Grimes’s proven defense, as well as his impressive offensive performance at the tail end of last year should leave Sixers fans feeling some levels of optimism at what Grimes and Maxey can do together given some time to grow their chemistry.
The sophomores
While referring to this entire group as “the sophomores” may be a slight cheat in that it counts as only one reason for optimism, it is hard to argue that the Sixers' three second-year players were all bright spots last season. The trio of Adem Bona, Justin Edwards, and Jared McCain was incredible for the Sixers, all for very different reasons.
Jared McCain was the Philadelphia 76ers ' first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. After being selected at pick 16, the former Duke guard went to work for the Sixers. After playing sporadically through his first six appearances, McCain broke onto the scene with a 27-point game against the Charlotte Hornets to get the Sixers their second win of the season.
From that point on, McCain averaged an impressive 19.1 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds a night while shooting 46.8% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc. Sadly, with the Sixers' cursed season last year, his season ended far too early as he suffered a season-ending injury after appearing in just 23 games in his rookie season. That being said, McCain should be fully healthy this upcoming season and will be looking to reclaim a significant role for the Sixers going forward.
McCain wasn’t the only great pick for the Sixers in the 2024 draft class though. Former UCLA center Adem Bona took slightly longer to come into his role but was incredibly impressive down the stretch of the season. In his last 15 games of the season, Bona had his talents on full display for the injury riddled Sixers.
During this span, he averaged 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting an impressive 71.1% from the field. While Bona may not have the star player level ceiling that Jared McCain has, he is another bright spot on the Sixers who could potentially be one of the best backup centers in the league by next season.
Finally, the Sixers' last sophomore is Justin Edwards. At one point, Edwards was the top high school prospect in the country. Then, after a disappointing year at Kentucky, the guard-forward declared for the NBA Draft, where he would ultimately go undrafted.
From there, he signed with his hometown Sixers and quietly was one of the best rookies in the league last year. Edwards appeared in only 44 games with the Sixers, starting 26. In those 26 starts, Edwards impressed, averaging 12.2 points and 3.8 rebounds a game on an efficient 45.4% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc. With Edwards coming into his own near the end of the season, the sky's the limit for what he can do for the upcoming season.
The Rookies
Looking finally at my third reason to be optimistic for the upcoming season being outlined here is the rookies. After the 76ers disastrous season last year, the team found luck in the lottery by securing the third overall pick. With that pick, the Sixers drafted Baylor’s uber-athletic guard-forward VJ Edgecombe.
While at Baylor, the 6-foot-5 forward averaged a respectable 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game en route to being the Bears’ second leading scorer. Now, with Edgecombe in tow, the Sixers have a blue chip wing defender who showed his offensive chops in the Summer League when he scored 28 points against fellow rookie Ace Bailey and the Utah Jazz.
However, this doesn’t overshadow the Sixers' second pick in the draft. With the fifth pick in the second round, the Philadelphia 76ers took former Auburn and Morehead State big man Johni Broome.
Broome, who played five years at the collegiate level, doesn’t have a clear role for the future yet. He’s not the most athletic or significant player, but his energy and heart are clear. That’s why he was a consensus All-American his last year at Auburn, averaging 18.6 points while leading the SEC in rebounds (10.8) and blocks per game (2.1).
In the Summer League, Broome showed off that he was more than just a paint player, shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc on 5.1 attempts per game while averaging 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds a night.
While Nick Nurse is notorious for bringing rookies along slowly to open the year, the talent and the pedigree of the Sixers' two draft picks cannot be ignored. Edgecombe will more than likely see some significant chunks of playing time as he is the highest drafted rookie that Nick Nurse has ever coached in their first season, but Broome may have a harder time finding minutes early on. That being said, if he continues to shoot well from beyond the arc Nurse could have trouble not finding a place for him in the rotation in the future.
