The start of the NBA season approaching means it’s time for my favorite bi-annual tradition: depressing my coworkers by asking them long term questions about the state of the Philadelphia 76ers. As a team
that quickly went from title contenders to ping pong ball hopefuls, there’s a lot of ways this season can go. So I’ve gotten the Liberty Ballers staff one of the hardest questions in the league: how the hell is this Sixers season going to go?
The gang had so much to say about the team that this is our third and final part of our series. You can check out the first part here and the second here. (will link when live)
How do you think the crowded backcourt will be managed once Jared McCain returns? How would you like to see Nick Nurse manage it?
SK: The backcourt situation seems pretty straightforward, with Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe as the starters. The Sixers would love for that offense-defense pairing to work seamlessly and solidify a backcourt of the future. Jared McCain will serve as the offensive sparkplug off the bench, and Quentin Grimes will do a bit of everything in a complimentary role. We’ll also see plenty of three-guard lineups, as Nick Nurse mentioned during training camp. I think the most interesting thing to watch will be how a Maxey-McCain backcourt hangs defensively, because McCain looked too good in his on-court time last season to play purely a backup role. If that pairing is a clunky fit, McCain is the obvious trade candidate down the road.
BT: Nurse said he’d open to running out three- or four-guard lineups (!) because he just wants to get the best players on the floor at once, and there’s a case to be made that four of the Sixers’ best six or seven players are all guards. I’d like to see him try out different two- and three-man combinations throughout the year to see which players work best together. Are Maxey and McCain compatible long term? Which one does Edgecombe fit better alongside? Is there a big enough role for Grimes to justify the payday he was reportedly seeking? They need to use the regular season to answer those questions.
DP: I think McCain could thrive as the sixth man of this team. His ability to avalanche points on a team with his lucrative shooting talent could do wonders for the Sixers second unit, and could help build leads or close gaps while the opposing team’s best players are resting. His point guard skills and basketball IQ lend itself to being a perfect backup point guard to run a second unit with some new faces. It might take some time for him to work into this reality when he comes back from the right thumb injury.
EG: I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have so many options especially when a team is so historically unlucky injury-wise. It gives you a lot of flexibility to not rush McCain back and gives you contingency plans for when the inevitable next injury hits the team. Injury or not, I’d love to see Jared McCain take on the true sixth-man role. That’s one hell of a young player to have not even fit in your starting five. Plus, we all know how dismal the production of Sixers’ bench lineups can be… can’t hurt to have McCain in there consistently.
TW: The crowded backcourt has to be managed through the increased use of three-guard lineups, and leaning into extra ball-handling and Maxey/McCain as movement shooters running around Embiid (or leading the way when he’s out). Both Maxey and McCain are excellent playing off the ball, relocating into space, and shooting off the move or when coming off screens. Those two being used as weapons gives Edgecombe outlets whenever he handles the ball, and Maxey and McCain can both share ball-handling duties and have their minutes staggered somewhat so at least one of them can help lead the backcourt at all times. Grimes being in the mix really gives the Sixers a ton of guard depth, so having him as a likely sixth man for now to feast against second units could work nicely. Plus, Grimes can be used more as a 3 given his ability to guard wings.
HG: After the Quentin Grimes negotiations went nuclear, it’s hard for me to prioritize him over any of the other Sixers guards. That doesn’t mean he won’t play — he will — but it likely means we’ll see more of Edgecombe and McCain than Grimes. I’m confident in Grimes and Edgecombe’s ability to share the floor together; both are legit defenders who bring a wide range of skills on the offensive end. The real question will be how the Sixers can manage Maxey and McCain sharing the floor at the same time.
At least one of Maxey or McCain will need to avoid being a complete liability on defense. Even then, the Sixers will have to compensate with size and length behind them. McCain might be one of those players whose offensive upside is simply too good to keep off the floor, so it’ll come down to surrounding this group with legitimate size — whether that’s already on the roster or added later through trade or free agency.
If you had to guess, will Quentin grimes be a Sixer on the last day of the regular season?
SK: Sadly, all sides collectively bungled Grimes’ restricted free agency, and his signing the qualifying offer makes it very likely he’ll still be a Sixers at the end of this season, but probably not beyond it. The qualifying offer grants Grimes a no-trade clause, and combining that with the fact that he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer, the Sixers would have very little leverage to shop him at the trade deadline. I don’t think they’ll be bad enough to warrant getting a marginal return just to unload him in February, versus seeing how he could contribute towards a playoff push.
BT: I do think he will be. He has the right to veto any trade this season, and if he does get traded, his Bird rights won’t go with him to his new team. Unless his new team has enough cap space to re-sign him next summer, he’d effectively be a half-season rental there. It’s in his best interest to maintain his Bird rights so the Sixers can re-sign him next summer if the market doesn’t break in his favor.
DP: No, he will want to be traded to a team who needs the empty stats he put up for us last season. The issue is what the return would be, as the other team would likely view him as a rental for this year.
EG: I think the only reason he wouldn’t be would be that the Sixers are just so guard-heavy that they might need something else more at some point in the season. If they can get that for him, the team might have to make some sort of move. Otherwise, I expect him to be around and contributing throughout this season.
TW: I can easily see this going either way, but I’ll say Grimes will be gone. I could see him wanting the opportunity to go elsewhere and waiving his no-trade clause, what with the team’s loaded, youthful backcourt. Not to mention the possibility of a healthier George and Embiid taking more of the touches that Grimes thrived with last season. Of course, Grimes proved how much he offers defensively and the extra creation he can provide with his high usage last year. He could make a killing against second units this season if he stays in a sixth-man role and Edgecombe starts. But if both parties accept Grimes will likely be pursuing more money and touches elsewhere in 2026 anyway, a trade could make sense.
HG: As things stand, I think the answer is likely — and it might not even be close. Taking the qualifying offer has really put Grimes in a tough spot. If he wants to join a winning situation, those teams probably won’t be able to pay him anywhere near the money he’s looking for, especially since he sacrificed his Bird rights to outside teams. He also has a no-trade clause, meaning he’s not going anywhere without signing off on it.
While negotiations clearly didn’t go his way, it’s also worth considering that this is his fourth team in five years. That kind of movement can take a real toll on a player. At this point, the most logical path might be for Grimes to play out the season with the Sixers and then either negotiate a new deal in unrestricted free agency or work with the team on a sign-and-trade — allowing him to get paid while helping the Sixers recoup some value in return.
What Sixer do you think will surprise people this season, good way or bad?
SK: I think Edgecombe is going to surprise some people with his ability to compete at a high level right out of the gate. The Sixers have undeniably had something of a rookie curse befall them in recent years, but if anyone can overcome it, it’s Edgecombe. He already looks to have slid into a starting role, and the improving spacing of the NBA game is a huge help to him compared to his situation at Baylor. Some of the playmaking/passing concerns about his scouting profile already look to be somewhat alleviated by not having crowds around him so often, and he’s a plus contributor in nearly every other area of the game. If (IF!) VJ can avoid the supernatural forces that frequently afflict this franchise, I think he’ll be in the Rookie of the Year conversation (in the ‘if Cooper Flagg wasn’t in the same draft class’ sense) and have solidified himself as a league mainstay for years to come.
BT: Is it foolish to bet on a bounce-back year from George? Probably. Am I doing it anyway? Yes. I don’t think he’s a threat to score 25-plus points night in and night out anymore, but I do think injuries were more to blame for his ineffectiveness last season than Father Time. I wouldn’t be shocked to see George get back closer to the version of himself that the Sixers thought they were getting when they signed him to that massive contract last summer.
DP: I’m very confident Maxey will be an All-Star once again this season, and possibly make All-NBA. He has talked about how last year, as the sole star healthy, he was seeing all the defensive attention for the first time in his career, forcing him to see the game through a new lense. I think the result of this change will be a driven, pissed off Maxey who is ready to show the NBA that it is his team, and they will go as far as he takes them. I think we see a massive jump in his assists averages as he will take command of the offense, and another incremental climb defensively. I think with a more honest defense, Maxey will be able to pick them apart.
EG: I don’t know how much of a surprise it would be, because he was third overall pick, but I think VJ Edgecombe is going to be even better than we are expecting. There’s not many 20 year olds I would expect to come into a team and immediately make an impact on the floor and off but I think his youth, attitude and talent are just what this Sixers’ franchise need to turn a page on what has been just a depressing few years.
TW: I’m confident Adem Bona will pleasantly surprise a lot of people this season. I’ve already written about him a couple of times this offseason, because he’s already on an upward trajectory that I’m sure he’s going to keep on climbing. He started making improvements over the last few months of last season, whether it was reducing his foul rate or improving his control and timing as a finisher, and he has all the athletic tools and tireless work ethic to keep building on it. His success playing with Turkey in EuroBasket this summer has only boosted his confidence, too. He should be able to claim the lead backup center role over Andre Drummond and prove himself as a quality role player. I also think Bona’s upside can help keep the team going a bit better than expected during the inevitable stretches without Embiid.
HG: Expectations for the Sixers have cratered after the basketball hell that was last season. Honestly, just about everything would have to go wrong for this year to be worse. That alone makes me think the Sixers might pleasantly surprise some people. If Embiid and George play, this team has the potential to be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. If they don’t, there’s still enough legitimate talent on the roster to compete nightly and help build the foundation for the next generation of Sixers basketball.
The team also has a top-three pick making his debut — VJ Edgecombe — who I believe could become a long-term cornerstone. Plus, having a guy who dunks like he’s got personal beef with the rim will be a refreshing change from the retirement-home energy of last year’s squad.
If you come into this season with tempered expectations, I think you’ll end up feeling a lot better about where the Sixers are headed.
