News 76ers Team Notes

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Mintz, Barlow lead comeback attempt that comes up just short vs. Hornets

Photo by Garret Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Judah Mintz shined again and newcomer Dominick Barlow impressed, but the Summer Sixers weren’t quite able to complete the comeback vs. the Hornets Saturday.

Somehow, VJ Edgecombe’s stock might be rising faster in the games he hasn’t played in than the one that he did.

The Sixers fell 96-94 to the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night, falling to 0-2 in the Vegas summer league.

Judah Mintz was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points, shooting 5-of-13 from the field while getting to the line 15 times. Dominick Barlow had 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting along with eight rebounds. After another slow start, Justin Edwards went for a 14-point second half. KJ Simpson led the Hornets with 19.

Edgecombe missed his fourth straight game of the summer, but there was reported optimism that he will be able to return for one of the final two games. No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel was also unable to suit up for Charlotte due to injury.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

It will be interesting to see how effective Barlow can be for this team as a non-shooter. A lot of things he does well were on display in this one. He moves his feet well and puts himself in good position to rebound and he has active hands that he’s able to poke and prod with to annoy ball handlers.

This certainly isn’t a great environment for his type of role, especially since he seems to be on the floor with a non-shooter often. Still, he had a nice stretch in the second quarter where he was able to get himself to the basket. Perhaps the most intriguing play of the night was when Johni Broome was posting up near the block, but was still able to find a cutting Barlow for a lob.

It’s been really cool seeing Adem Bona push around centers that are noticeably taller than him. He was able to do that to Kyle Filipowski in Utah and was even more aggressive attacking Ryan Kalkbrenner in this one.

Bona was playing with so much aggression he was trying to rip the ball out of everybody’s hands. He was just as eager to attack offensively as well, and finished with a couple big dunks to show for it. He would finish the game with eight points, three blocks, and two steals. The only downside to a good performance from him is Mark Jones making a Bona-fide pun on commentary every quarter.

Adem Bona SLICING into the paint pic.twitter.com/AmLJ5i7qqH

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 12, 2025​

This isn’t exactly the type of environment for JEdwards to thrive as a Swiss-army knife type of guy, but he has still looked a lot worse this summer than a year ago. He finally showed some signs of life in the third. After knocking down a three he was able to cut down the lane for dunk. Just as impressive as the slam was the bounce pass from Bona that found him.

Jedwards w/ the AND 1 hand slam! pic.twitter.com/ddbwNDBDLZ

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 13, 2025​

Hunter Sallis got the start as Jalen Hood-Schifino was inactive, but he still wasn’t able to settle in. The way he moves with the ball in his hands is interesting and he’s had some decent moments creating. He finished with four assists in this one. It’s hard to see him being very effective though if he can’t get that shot to fall.

He looks rough compared to Mintz, who at times is the only guy on this team who can put the ball in the basket. It was his flurry that made it a competitive game in the second quarter, and he did a lot of the leg work in the fourth when they briefly held a lead, though his attempt to tie the game with time expiring was blocked.

The Sixers are back in action again on Tuesday when they take on the Washington Wizards at 8:30 p.m. ET. That game will be on NBATV and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...e-recap-judah-mintz-adem-bona-dominick-barlow

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Summer League, Sixers-Hornets: Game Discussion Thread

The Sixers, still without VJ Edgecombe, continue their Las Vegas Summer League campaign on Saturday evening against the Charlotte Hornets.

(Summer) Sixers vs. Hornets Game Details​

When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

Watch: ESPN2, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...econd-half-thread-nba-discussion-philadelphia

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

The VJ Edgecombe injury situation has killed any positive feelings about Sixers Summer League

Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Why can’t we have nice things?

Heading into NBA Summer League play in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, I think many fans were genuinely excited about watching the Philadelphia 76ers take the court. Sure, the quality of the on-court play during July is choppy, at best, and the results don’t actually matter, but after months of actively hoping the Sixers would lose games in order to improve draft position, it’s nice to have a pure rooting interest in hoping they win the game you’re watching, even in Summer League. Plus, the Sixers had third overall pick VJ Edgecombe, and watching his development would add an interesting and exciting element.

We had a brief taste of it against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, when the Sixers lost in the final minute, but Edgecombe balled out with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal, and also showed off some trash-talking chops. For a day or so, everything was golden and Summer League vibes were super high.

Then, everything changed when Edgecombe was ruled out with a bruised thumb, which later morphed into a sprained thumb, and then finally a wrist injury. VJ has yet to retake the floor and it would be surprising to see him out there for the remaining games this week. With this development, all excitement and optimism has left the Sixers Summer League experience.

Now, there are levels to this disappointment. First, it would just be fun to see Edgecombe playing, but if it was a situation like the Dallas Mavericks shutting down Cooper Flagg, we would understand and be OK with the call. Then, there’s his suffering an injury after just one game, bringing back all the familiar “Sixers draft picks are cursed” memories. ‘Is this going to mess with his shot and we have another Markelle Fultz situation’ on our hands?’ Not a reasonable thought for what is reportedly a minor injury, but we’ve been hurt too many times before to not even have a hint of worry across our minds. Finally, it’s yet another weird injury reporting situation from the Sixers. They feel like the only franchise in the league that routinely changes what the injury is on a regular basis. Just be normal, Sixers medical staff!

Add it all up and we’ve gone from being excited about Summer League to kind of just wanting it to be over so we can eventually get to training camp and see Edgecombe out there healthy with the regulars. With all due respect to Judah Mintz, Dominick Barlow and whoever else has been stringing together some solid performances out West, another depressively vague injury situation is the last thing we needed and overshadows whatever else is happening. Just bring everyone home safe and sound and bubble wrap them until October.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...s-sixers-summer-league-philadelphia-76ers-nba

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Paul George undergoes surgery for injury suffered in workout

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Paul George suffered another injury to his left knee that troubled him much of last season.

At this point you might as well call him Procedure P.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported some unpleasant news and that is Paul George underwent arthroscopic surgery on Monday to repair an injury he sustained in an offseason workout.

Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left knee Monday to treat an injury suffered during a recent workout, a team official tells ESPN. George will now begin a rehab program and be re-evaluated prior to start of training camp. pic.twitter.com/cMX6uANlmY

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2025​

This has been confirmed by the Sixers, who said the surgery was performed by Dr. Jonathan Glashow, the same surgeon who operated on Joel Embiid earlier this offseason.

With Charania saying that George will be re-evaluated at the start of training camp, it is likely we won’t know if PG will be ready for the start of the season until we get to that point. It’s also troubling to hear that the left knee is again a problem for George.

He first injured that knee in his second preseason game as a Sixer. Only a few weeks after initially injuring it, he hyperextended the knee again just games into the regular season, and had to deal with another bone bruise. That played a big part in not letting George’s first season in Philadelphia get off the ground, and it looks like that will carry over into his second season as well.

There’s really no good way to look at this, but at least the team got good injury news elsewhere. VJ Edgecombe was reportedly a full participant in summer league practice today after missing the last four games with a wrist injury. Per Ky Carlin of SixersWire, Edgecombe looked good in practice and an update for his status will be provided on Tuesday.

Summer league coach TJ DiLeo on VJ Edgecombe at practice today: “He looked great today. He had a good day. The stuff we saw in the first game.“

A status update for tomorrow’s game for Edgecombe will be provided. #Sixers

— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) July 14, 2025​

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...surgery-knee-injury-2025-nba-offseason-sixers

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Edgecombe struggles early but finds groove in second half to lead Sixers to win

Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

VJ Edgecombe was scoreless in the first half but dropped 15 points and stuffed the stat sheet in the second half to lead the Sixers over the Wizards in Vegas.

Well, that was a game and they won it, that’s for sure.

With VJ Edgecombe back in the lineup, the Sixers beat the Washington Wizards 74-58 Tuesday night to improve to 1-2 in Vegas.

Thanks to a late three-point surge, Justin Edwards led the Sixers with 17 points along with eight boards. He shot 5-of-14 from the field, all of those makes coming from behind the arc.

With his college coach Bruce Pearle in attendance, Johni Broome impressed with 14 points along with 10 rebounds. He went 5-of-11 from the field.

Edgecombe, who got off to a pretty slow start, finished with 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting. He also went for six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

AJ Johnson led all scorers with 20. Tre Johnson was out for Washington due to hamstring tightness.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

Edgecombe was unable to buy a basket to start this game, missing his first seven shots. It was hard to tell if there were any lingering effects from his wrist injury, because the Wizards might have gotten away with a couple fouls. He still didn’t get on the board until the second half. His first field goal was a struggle, guiding a dunk attempt off the rim.

It was still fun to see his athleticism out there. That alone was able to stabilize better than any other guard on the team at points. He nearly got on the board with another poster dunk, but had to settle for the trip to the line.

He continued to create good looks for himself at the basket, most of them continued to results in fouls though rather than made baskets. He finally got another layup to go after a nifty move, and hit a three moments later that put the game away in the fourth.

It wasn’t nearly as flashy as his debut in Utah, but there were still plenty of positives for Edgecombe’s first game back after missing the previous four.

EDWARDS EDGECOMBE pic.twitter.com/xoPR4fA1Cp

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 16, 2025​

While the rest of the backcourt play was peak summer league sloppy, the other Sixers’ draft pick from this year had his best pro game so far.

Broome looked really good coming out of dribble hand-offs attacking switches. For large stretches of the game, the ball was safest when it was in his hands, and he got some chances to make important decision with the ball. This dump off to Adem Bona was somehow his lone assist of the night.

Johni dropping dimes. pic.twitter.com/wRT1MBjmRB

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 16, 2025​

Bona was certainly part of the sloppiness at the beginning of the game. He finished with four turnovers. He was really solid defensively though, and was able to get the ball in the basket when it found him again. His second go around at summer league has certainly been more reassuring than that of Edwards.

The summer Sixers will be right back at it taking on the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. You can catch it on ESPN and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...mer-league-vj-edgecombe-johni-broom-adem-bona

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

How a weak 2027 draft class could affect the Sixers

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

A super long-view of the team’s draft capital and roster construction.

On the heels of Monday’s Paul George injury report, Sixers fans could breathe a sigh of relief on Tuesday as third overall pick VJ Edgecombe returned to summer league play.

Edgecombe’s battle with a thumb sprain appears to have concluded, as he flashed his talent against the Washington Wizards. He would tally 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a very impressive block (1:10 in video below).

Sixers rookie V.J. Edgecombe continues to impress this Summer, scoring 15 points in 30 minutes to go along with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block last night pic.twitter.com/21asktPa5K

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) July 16, 2025​

Edgecombe’s development may be more crucial to the Sixers than previously thought. ESPN’s Johnathan Givony reported earlier on Tuesday that some NBA executives already have a gloomy outlook on the 2027 draft class:

“The most forward-thinking of those executives are already ringing alarm bells in their front offices for the 2027 NBA draft, which appears to be an especially weak group of rising high school seniors and international players born in 2007 and 2008.”

Givony reveals that college coaches are even shying away from the top high school prospects and are instead heavily focusing on acquiring talent through the transfer portal.

What does this mean for the Sixers?

If you recall the draft lottery this year, the one in which fans and the front office alike were holding on to the chances of the Sixers even getting a draft pick. The one that had them jumping up to the third overall spot, leading to them take Edgecombe. Since the pick stayed with the Sixers, next year's selection is at stake, with the possibility of being sent to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder if it does not land in one of the top four picks.

Barring an even more disastrous season than the previous, the 2026 pick will be sent to the Thunder. This means the next pick the 76ers have sole ownership of is their 2027 first-round pick, as it pushes back their top-eight protected first-round pick owed to the Brooklyn Nets until 2028.

If Givony’s report holds, and there is little star talent in the 2027 draft class, it becomes evident that the development of rookie-scale contract players like Edgecombe and Jared McCain will be pivotal.

The Sixers could be looking at a 2027-28 roster with a 33-year-old Joel Embiid, who will make $62.5 million that season. Paul George will be 37 that year and has a player option to return to the team for $56.5 million. Unless there are some unforeseen revenue spikes or trades, those two contracts would eat up about 70% of the team's total cap space.

Even if the two injury-prone stars can put together a successful season or two, the optionality for the front office in 2027 just got more difficult. It will be unlikely that teams will value that year’s draft picks equally to even selections in 2026, which may just become more valuable in turn.

Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer, son of former All-Star Carlos Boozer, headline the 2026 draft class with star-level potential.

Despite criticism from NBA executives, the 2027 draft class boasts a couple of names that demonstrate clear league potential.

The top-ranked class of 2026 high schooler is currently 6-foot-7 Tyran Stokes out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA.

He has the physical tools to hold his own defensively, notably out on the perimeter, and is unafraid to jump passing lanes or steal some cookies from unsuspecting opponents. His high-flying slashing game has shades of Sixers’ own Kelly Oubre Jr., as he consistently finishes dunks and lobs with ferocity. Almost every dunk is followed by either a flex to the crowd or trash talk to the defender he scored on, bringing palpable energy to the team.

He has room to grow as a shooter from deep, but his shot appears fundamentally sound and consistent from around the court. Against a more formidable defense, he flashes solid playmaking and shot creation.

The other 2027 draft prospect to keep an eye on is 6-foot-11 forward Miika Muurinen out of Finland.

Muurinen is a complete package offensively and is the best shooter in the class. His height allows him to stretch the floor, which he takes advantage of with impressive on-ball skills.

He is comfortable shooting from NBA three-point range, operating in the post, and finishing with touch at the rim.

Muurinen demonstrates a solid basketball IQ, consistently cutting off the ball when the offense stagnates, working patiently on dribble-handoffs with guards, popping out to the three-point line after setting screens, and consistently being in the right spot defensively. The question will be whether his rebounding and paint defense will be hampered by his slender frame at the next level.

Sixers fans know better than anyone that a lot can change within a year. To write off these prospects before getting their first ounce of college coaching is irresponsible, even if hindsight proves the critiques correct.

If college coaches are unwilling to hand out five-star-level money to these prospects, like Givony reported, perhaps they will be hungrier than ever to get themselves NBA-ready. Only time will tell.

The Sixers are already handcuffed for the next few years, and if the scout who said “This is one of the weakest high school classes I’ve seen in a long time” is accurate, the handcuffs will be even more challenging to unlock.

The answer might have to be budding stardom out of their last two first-round picks. McCain oozed potential through 23 games in his rookie season and was on pace to win Rookie of the Year before injuring his meniscus. Through two summer league games, Edgecombe shows great promise as well, but it would be an overreaction to claim he is a budding star.

Hitting on second-round picks will be crucial, as cheap but talented players will offset the top-heavy cap sheet. The Sixers' President of Basketball Operations has a strong history of drafting players in the second round, with names like Isaiah Joe, Paul Reed and, more recently, Adem Bona making a name for themselves or earning second contracts.

This must continue if the Sixers are to survive a weak 2027 draft class.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...class-sixers-future-draft-picks-clippers-swap

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Discussing the Sixers’ 21st Century Mount Rushmore

Bleacher Report recently underwent an interesting exercise, examining the Mount Rushmore (i.e. the four most iconic faces) for every team during the course of the 21st century. While some franchises had an embarrassment of riches and had to leave some outstanding players off the list, the article really drove home how bleak Philadelphia 76ers basketball has often been this century, something also covered in our Gordie Jones’ recent ranking of the last 25 Sixers teams.

The first name was Allen Iverson, an obvious inclusion. Not only did The Answer lead the Sixers to their only NBA Finals appearance since Will Smith dropped Willennium, but he stamped one of the greatest cultural footprints of any player in league history. We don’t need to go on.

Next we have Joel Embiid. While the current outlook for the big man’s future is awfully pessimistic and we could potentially be looking at a John Wall Memorial Worst Contract in the League situation, Embiid needs to be on here. The man won an MVP award, and they don’t just hand those out like Major League Baseball letting Jacob Misiorowski in the All-Star Game. Embiid went on about a half-decade run combining historical efficiency on the offensive end with defensive domination. His body may be letting him down, but no sane person could let him down by excluding him from this group.

Now things get slightly murkier with the next name: Andre Iguodala. As someone who will be discussed for the Hall of Fame when he is eligible in 2027, he should be open and shut here. However, he finally received the full respect he deserved after leaving Philadelphia. With the Sixers, he was miscast as an alpha scorer, supposed to take the reins from Iverson after his departure. Philadelphia fans grew increasingly bitter that wasn’t who Iguodala was as a player. It wasn’t until he was able to serve as an elite defensive swiss-army knife, glue guy with Golden State (and Team USA) that Andre reached his ultimate potential. Still, Iguodala peaked as a Sixer with his 2011-12 All-Star campaign culminating with his playoff moment in Chicago during that fun postseason run. For better or worse, he’s the face of an entire era of Sixers basketball.

Finally, we arrive at who prompted this follow-up discussion: Thaddeus Young. Here’s what Bleacher Report wrote on Thad:

“Picking a fourth face is hard, and not the fun kind of hard. You can make a case for Ben Simmons, Lou Williams, Tyrese Maxey, Jrue Holiday, Robert Covington, maybe even James Harden and more. Thaddeus Young’s longevity wins out. He’s third among Sixers in total games played and steals and is fourth in scoring and rebounds over this span.”

Let me say this first. I loved Thaddeus Young. The Night Shift was super fun. I always respected his hustle on a night-in, night-out basis for years. Back when I used to podcast, I went on record numerous times saying Young was my favorite Sixer for many years. That being said, Thad can’t be on a Mount Rushmore purely because he played seven seasons here. He never made an All-Star team and only played 21.3 minutes per game off the bench the only time the Sixers made it out of the first round during his tenure. Mount Rushmore can’t be for memorializing the “pretty good”.

So let’s examine the other candidates. James Harden wasn’t here long enough. Ditto for Jrue Holiday, who was still on the way up when he was shipped out to kickstart The Process. Lou Williams falls into the same bucket as Thad of “pretty good for a longer period of time”. Ben Simmons probably had the highest individual peaks of anyone from this group, but Sixers fans would take dynamite to the monument if his face was thrown up there.

To me, it has to be Tyrese Maxey. Maxey has played five seasons in Philadelphia already, spending a couple as the alpha whenever Joel Embiid is sidelined (sadly, this is often). He made an All-Star team and averaged over 20 points per game during three separate postseason runs, including an iconic 46 points and logo three in a Game 5 win over the New York Knicks that Sixers fans will remember forever. Even if you don’t want to project moving forward at all as part of this exercise, Maxey already has the resume. All due respect to Thad, but instead of honoring some cumulative stats for a bunch of .500 teams, give me the rising star with the jersey every kid in Philadelphia wants to be wearing.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...erson-joel-embiid-andre-iguodala-tyrese-maxey