Excitement for the upcoming Sixers season is at an all-time high. Many are dreaming of what it’s going to look like seeing LeBron James in a Sixers uniform and how the loaded starting lineup of stars operate together on the same floor. There are many swing factors that could determine the ultimate outcome of this season. One major piece to the puzzle that will determine the Sixers’ floor and ceiling will be the development of their young talent alongside their stars.
While most all of the attention
on the Sixers is centered around their star-studded starting five (and for good reason) the team has accumulated their fair share of young talent, all of which still have plenty of room for growth.
VJ Edgecombe
Edgecombe is the most obvious example of young and blossoming talent on the roster. Coming off a First Team All-Rookie season which both started and ended on a high note, Edgecombe’s all-around two-way skillset is a picture-perfect match as the fifth starter alongside the teams four All-Stars. We’ve already seen Edgecombe drop 30 points on the road in Boston in the playoffs and be tasked with slowing down some of the best guards the NBA has to offer, so what does growth in his game look like for the 2026-2027 season? Two major areas that will be under the microscope for VJ are his long-range shooting — in particular off the catch — along with his overall growth as an impactful defender in year two.
There will be no shortage of open looks for VJ this year given who accompanies him in the lineup, so a shooting leap would serve him very well as far as making a consistent impact offensively in the halfcourt. The quartet of Edgecombe, Brown, Maxey and LeBron is very likely to be the most devastating four-man lineup in transition in all of basketball, and I’d venture to say probably one of the best ever as there is no shortage of athleticism, speed and hit ahead ability amongst that group.
Defensively, Edgecombe will be tasked most nights with defending the opposing teams’ best guards, something that he did a lot in year one with mixed results. Added strength, a year of experience, as well as a bigger ask to assume this role all should aid in his favor as he looks to be a key cog in what many hope is a memorable season for the Sixers.
Outside of Edgecombe though, the Sixers also have rookie guard Labaron Philon, third-year guys Adem Bona and Justin Edwards, as well as Jabari Walker, and Dominick Barlow, who was a bit of a revelation for much of this past season with the Sixers. All of these guys bring different skillsets to the table, and all will be called upon throughout the coming season to provide and impact off the Sixers bench.
Labaron Philon
Philon could already stake a claim to being the second-best pure passer on the roster as well as the team’s top true PG option off the bench. He’s capable of playing both on and off the ball as he showed throughout his two years at Alabama. Philon carved out a large role as a freshman with the Crimson Tide as a secondary ball handler and pesky perimeter defender playing alongside Alabama PG and All-American Mark Sears. If Philon wants to establish a consistent rotation role in his first season in the NBA, he is going to have to lean on a lot of those same attributes, while also being a source of instant offense and reliable ball handling — two things we know he is overqualified to do.
Adem Bona
Bona is likely to begin the season in a competition to be the Sixers’ primary backup center to Joel Embiid — a role that we all know the vast importance of given Embiid is likely to miss some games to manage his body for the long haul. On paper, Bona is really an ideal fit alongside all of the other Sixers starters. As I touched on earlier, the quartet of Brown, Maxey, Edgecombe and LeBron is going to be one of the deadliest transition forces in the game. Bona is an excellent fit to blend in with that run-and-gun style as there are few if any big men in the NBA that can change ends as fast as Bona can. Bona allows for the Sixers to deploy a variety of different coverages on the defensive end given his ability to move his feet on the perimeter as well as protect the rim.
Main areas of focus for Bona to grow as a player should be his hands on the offensive end and his rebounding on the defensive end, both of which go hand in hand in a way. Bona’s biggest issues offensively come when he is struggling to catch the ball and finish non-dunk attempts around the basket. This also shows up on the glass as effort is never an issue with Bona, but technique and gracefulness in securing the board can be a problem at times. Bona should have plenty of lob and dump off opportunities with the personnel the Sixers have at their disposal. He’s also been in the gym this offseason repping his corner three-point shot, an element of his game that is unforeseen to this point in his NBA career. If he debuts a new willingness and capability to knockdown a perimeter jumper from time to time that could add a new dynamic to both his game and how the Sixers can operate with him on the floor, but I would proceed with cautious optimism.
Even still, Bona is slotted to play a large role on a Sixers team with real championship aspirations and his improvement could go a long way in solidifying the second unit.
Jabari Walker
Walker has a very clear path to providing value to the Sixers as a bench reserve. His rebounding, which is already a major strong suit in his game, and in his improvement defensively and as a corner three-point shooter should offer a boost. Think P.J. Tucker for what an ideal role for Walker would look like alongside the Sixers stars. The biggest area Walker must improve if he wants to snatch more minutes and a larger role would be defensively as that is the primary area of his game that can be exploited. He’s a bit of a tweener who doesn’t have the vertical or raw size presence of a true big but also not the foot speed of a forward or wing.
Justin Edwards
Edwards is a fellow Klutch sports client along with Walker, James and Maxey. Edwards’ skillset profiles as a typical athletic 3-and-D wing. He didn’t quite have the leap many fans and himself I’m sure were hoping for in year two. Edwards I think will strongly benefit from remaining in a very low usage role and will likely see a big jump in his shot quality, especially playing alongside James and Embiid more in the coming season. Edwards becoming more consistent as a shooter and more impactful as a defender, in particular navigating screens, would serve him and the team well going forward. The hope is that in year three, Edwards can turn his flashes and moments into more consistent game in and game out play when his number is called.
Dominick Barlow
The last player I am going to touch on is Barlow. He was a pleasant surprise for the Sixers this past season. Barlow, who started the season with the Sixers on a two-way contract, went on to play in 71 games for the Sixers, including 59 starts, parlaying his promising season into a standard NBA deal which included a second-year team option for this coming season that the Sixers picked up.
Barlow is one of the players that I think most stands to benefit from the addition of James. While Barlow’s minutes might take a hit, his overall play and effectiveness should improve. One of Barlow’s best attributes offensively is that he is a phenomenal cutter and who better at hitting cutters than LeBron James? Barlow is excellent as an off-ball cutter and always moving and at times that wasn’t promptly rewarded this past season. His fit alongside James on both ends of the court is ideal in both the full and halfcourt.
Barlow has been seen throughout this offseason reworking his jump shot, the biggest and most obvious area for improvement in his game. If Barlow can turn himself into a passable three-point shooter and improve in a meaningful way from his 26% three-point stroke, he becomes such a perfect role player for any team but in particular this Sixers team. They could deploy him in a multitude of lineups and in a multitude of ways, whether it’s in small ball looks alongside Dean Wade and James in the frontcourt or in bigger lineups with Wade and Barlow as your forwards and James running the show.
Barlow’s effort, energy, defensive versatility and play finishing made him a stalwart in the Sixers rotation last season. The team would be wise to maximize him as a key reserve this coming season pairing a good chunk of his minutes alongside James and Embiid.
With the 2026-2027 NBA schedule released and just a little over two short months until opening night, one of the most highly anticipated seasons in Philadelphia 76ers history is nearly upon us. While the headlines and fanfare will be about the Sixers’ loaded core group, the development and deployment of Edgecombe and the team’s young pieces off the bench could help swing the pendulum and help get them to their desired goal: an NBA championship.
