News 76ers Team Notes

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Lonnie Walker IV diagnosed with concussion after hard fall in Toronto

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Lonnie Walker IV was diagnosed with a concussion Thursday after taking a hard fall in the Sixers’ loss to the Raptors in Toronto Wednesday night.

Lonnie Walker IV was diagnosed with a concussion, the Sixers announced Thursday.

The veteran guard took a nasty fall in the Sixers’ loss to the Raptors in Toronto Wednesday night. Just two minutes after entering the game Walker went up for a rebound and collided with the Raptors’ Colin Castleton. Walker hit the back of his head on the floor and remained on the ground for several minutes before heading straight to the locker room.

Lonnie Walker IV had a scary fall where he hit his head on the hardwood after coming down from a rebound!

Lonnie stayed down for a few minutes but walked off the court. He didn't return to the game.
pic.twitter.com/sZj1D9U1Ql

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) March 13, 2025​

You never want to see a player suffer a concussion, but this is especially tough for a guy like Walker. The 26-year-old was playing in just his 10th game this season after signing with the Sixers last month. The Reading native spent the beginning of the season playing overseas after being in camp with the Boston Celtics.

It took Walker a few games to adjust to the time difference and readjust to the NBA, but he just seemed to be finding his groove. In 10 games, Walker averaged 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 19.2 minutes per game for the Sixers. We’ll see how long the concussion keeps him out of the lineup.

Walker joins a very crowded injury list for the Sixers. Joel Embiid, Jared McCain and Eric Gordon are out for the season. It appears Paul George is right behind them. Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry remain out of the lineup. Guerschon Yabusele missed Wednesday’s game with a knee issue that’s been bothering him for a few weeks, but is not on the current injury report. All three of Andre Drummond, Justin Edwards and Alex Reese are listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...walker-iv-diagnosed-concussion-sixers-raptors

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Report: Paul George weighing treatment options, procedure possible

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Paul George, who’s missed the last three games, will consider treatment options for both his groin and knee

Well, at least things seem to be winding down.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday afternoon that Paul George will consult with doctors on options to treat his groin and knee, two areas where he’s dealt with injuries all season long. In classic Sixers fashion, the word surgery wasn’t used but Charania said that a procedure was possible.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George is consulting with doctors this week on treatment options for his groin and knee injuries, including a possible procedure, sources tell ESPN. A decision is expected early next week. pic.twitter.com/tHyDDzDyLn

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 13, 2025​

This again just shows the absurdity that these guys were trying to play through injury despite the team’s record careening under .500.

The designation has only ever been “groin soreness,” but that listing has appeared for George on the injury report as far back as January. Nick Nurse said he had another issue with his groin during halftime of a March 1 win over the Golden State Warriors.

George put up 12 points in the fourth quarter, but missed the following game due to the injury. He tried to play the next night in Minnesota, but left after the third quarter as the Sixers suffered a 14-point loss to the Timberwolves. He has not played since.

It’s also not very reassuring to see Charania mention that George is seeking options for his knee as well. He suffered a bone bruise in his left knee back in the preseason, and had the same injury again in November.

He’s played with a big knee brace off-and-on this season, but alluded to the knee feeling better when the team was playing slightly better back in December.

If those injuries are still bothering him, that is troublesome, to say the least. George has almost certainly played his last game of the 2024-25 season — it’s still just crazy it took this long to reach this point.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...weighing-treatment-options-procedure-possible

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers-Pacers: Second Half Thread

The Sixers, with 12 players on the injury report, are set to host the Pacers if they are able to field a team

Game Details​

When: Wednesday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: The Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...iana-pacers-nba-second-half-discussion-thread

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers Bell Ringer: Shorthanded Sixers follow the tanking manual with competitive loss to Pacers

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

The eight available Sixers fought hard, but kept pace in the Tankathon Wars with a 112-100 defeat to Indiana.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey - 16
Joel Embiid - 8
Jared McCain - 8
Paul George - 7
Quentin Grimes - 6
Kelly Oubre Jr - 5
Guerschon Yabusele - 4
Adem Bona - 2
Ricky Council IV - 2
Justin Edwards - 2
KJ Martin - 2
Jared Butler - 1
Andre Drummond - 1
No One - 1

The Sixers had just eight players available for Friday night’s meeting in Philadelphia with the Indiana Pacers. Two of their three guys coming off the bench had never suited up for the team (Alex Reese was the familiar face with five previous games as a Sixer). Naturally, the Sixers played one of their best defensive quarters of the season in the first to jump out to an early lead. Eventually, though, top-end talent prevailed with the Pacers breaking things open a bit in the fourth quarter of their 112-110 win. Let’s discuss tonight’s Bell Ringer nominees.

Jeff Dowtin Jr.: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Dowtin received his first career NBA start and did not look the least bit out of place in the opening introductions. He exploded 11 points and two assists in the first quarter, hitting a bunch of high-difficulty pull-up jumpers and fadeaways in a perfect 5-of-5 showing from the field. Dowtin wound up with a career-high 24 points on 11-of-20 from the field, and made a pair of nice reads out of the pick-and-pop to find big men for threes. He even pulled a T.J. on T.J. McConnell himself midway through the fourth quarter, coming away with a steal in the backcourt and finishing for a three-point play. The 27-year-old currently on a two-way contract is starting to put some nice tape together in a bid to get another NBA gig beyond this season.

JDJ for pic.twitter.com/g4xjtEoXr5

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 14, 2025​

Adem Bona: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Bona was another Sixer who came away with a career-high in points in defeat, falling one rebound shy of his second double-double of his career. He’ll hopefully cut down on the fouling with more experience, but you love Bona’s energy on both ends of the court, fighting for positioning underneath to collect four offensive rebounds. Some of his buckets were of the workmanlike variety, but the big man flashed some more advanced stuff with a turnaround hook shot out of a post seal, a little dribble drive across the baseline for a reverse lay-in, and of course, his thunderous dunk driving down the lane in the third quarter. Adem also showed nice touch on his shot from the foul line, going 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. The 2024 second-round pick has done everything he needed to do to show he’s ready for a backup center role next season.

DUNKIN'! pic.twitter.com/dDlA1G2wfX

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 15, 2025​

Oshae Brissett: 14 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Brissett was signed to a 10-day contract via a hardship exemption earlier in the day. Considering he literally just met all of his teammates, it was an impressive showing from him, particularly in the fourth quarter where he scored 13 of his 14 points and went 5-of-5 from the field. The forward showed off nice touch from the outside in shooting 3-of-5 from behind the arc against his former club, and made a couple nice defensive plays as a helpside defender in the first half. I’m intrigued enough to want to see more from the former Syracuse product.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...ve-loss-indiana-pacers-philadelphia-76ers-nba

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Report: Sixers to sign Chuma Okeke to 10-day deal after granted another hardship exception

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

The Sixers were granted another 10-day deal to deal with yet another injury.

They really might have to pull fans out of the stands to fill out the roster by the end of the season.

As the Sixers released their latest injury report for their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, they will be down another rotation player. Adem Bona is out with an ankle sprain he suffered after landing on Thomas Bryant’s foot in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Bona rolled his ankle in the 2nd quarter last night when he landed on Thomas Bryant’s foot.

Nick Nurse postgame: “I think he battled through a bit of an ankle problem in the second half, didn’t look like it on that dunk, but he had an ankle problem” https://t.co/ahvoQTHTjT

— Josh Grieb (@JGrieb10) March 15, 2025​

With Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. also unable to play in Dallas, that makes 10 Sixers out due to injury including the three players they have ruled out for the season.

So it appears the league has granted them another hardship exception. Marc Stein has reported Philadelphia will be bringing in forward Chuma Okeke on another 10-day contract. Okeke previously signed one with the team back on Feb. 6. He only appeared in garbage time in one game before returning to the Westchester Knicks once the deal had expired.

The 76ers are signing Chuma Okeke to a 10-day contract in advance of Sunday's game in Dallas, league sources say.

More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cVpMwn

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 15, 2025​

Okeke has averaged 18 points and 7.9 rebounds in 25 games in the G this season, shooting 43% from the field and 35.9% from three.

This is the second straight game an exception has been granted so that the Sixers have enough players to field a team. They had the minimum of eight players available against the Indiana Pacers, including Bona who is now out and Oshae Brisset, who was also signed to a 10-day contract hours before the game for the same reason.

All of these injuries would be very good for the Sixers’ tank if not for the fact that they are about to take on a team that’s in the same boat.

The Mavericks have already ruled out six players, a smattering of lingering injuries as well as season enders. Former Sixers Caleb Martin and Kai Jones are currently questionable while Jaden Hardy is doubtful. Martin has only appeared in five games since the Sixers traded him to Dallas back at the trade deadline.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...-okeke-10-day-deal-granted-hardship-exception

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Seriously shorthanded Sixers could see lottery odds improve again vs. Mavericks

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Two injury riddled teams face off on Sunday in Dallas. Will the Sixers end their week with a fourth straight loss to see their lottery odds improve?

The Sixers will be pretty happy with their week so far. Three straight losses mean their lottery hopes are continuing to improve. On Sunday afternoon, we’ll see if the losing streak extends to four as they head on the road to Dallas to take on the Mavericks.

As you'd expect, the Sixers are still going to have a very short rotation for Sunday's early contest. I mean this literally too — 10 players are out, including most of their center options. Apart from Joel Embiid and Jared McCain out for the season, Andre Drummond (left toe sprain), Adem Bona (left ankle sprain), Paul George (left groin soreness), Tyrese Maxey (lower back sprain and a finger sprain), Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management), Eric Gordon (right wrist surgery), Kelly Oubre Jr. (right knee sprain) and Lonnie Walker IV (concussion) are all out.

We'll get a look at Chuma Okeke, who's been signed to a 10-day deal after the Sixers were granted another hardship exception.

The Mavs are also ravaged by injuries right now. So much so that they're down to eight healthy players. After choosing to trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, which is still just as baffling weeks later, and trying to remain competitive with their new look, AD has been out since Feb. 8 and is sidelined with a left adductor strain. Along with their new star big man, Kyrie Irving (ACL tear), Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain), Dante Exum (left hand fracture), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist surgery) are all out. Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) is doubtful, while Kai Jones (left quad strain) and Caleb Martin (left hip strain) are questionable and Brandon Williams (left hamstring tightness) is probable to return.

I think these may be the longest injury reports I’ve ever written for a Sixers game preview...

Unlike many of the Sixers' recent opponents, the Mavs have wanted to compete for the playoffs to end this season. The injuries have just made it impossible. The Mavs are now 2-8 in their last 10 games and 7-12 since trading Doncic, putting them at 10th place in the West. This is still a losable game with the Sixers so depleted themselves, but it’s not an ideal tank scenario with the Mavs this unhealthy too.

We're all thinking lottery odds at this point, so let's check in with Tankathon to see how the lottery picture looks. The Raptors picking up a three-game win streak helps the Sixers’ place in sixth, although reaching the top four is looking increasingly hard:

The Sixers are coming into this game off a loss to the Pacers in which they had a rotation of just eight players. Jeff Dowtin Jr. stepped up with a career-high 24 points, Jared Butler continued to make the most of increased minutes, and Adem Bona continues to prove that he's already capable of being a legitimate backup NBA center.

In terms of actual basketball rather than just lottery odds intrigue, Bona's recent play has been one of the bright spots. His energy and explosiveness has never been in question, and he pairs that with solid finishing, agility to switch on defense and competitive rim protection with his length and quick rotations. If he returns soon and closes out the season this well, the Sixers' backup center for next year could be set.

As the key players remain out for both teams, we'll see how the Sixers' young guys continue playing with these extra opportunities and if the lottery odds can keep climbing for the Sixers. It's already been a good week for them in that regard so far, but this one could probably go in favor of either injury-riddled team.

Game Details​

When: Sunday, March 16, 1:00 p.m. ET

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...embiid-paul-george-tyrese-maxey-anthony-davis

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers Bell Ringer: Grimes’ revenge game, Hood-Schifino’s career day in win vs. Mavs

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Quentin Grimes dropped 28 on his former team and Jalen Hood-Schifino had a career-high 19 as the Sixers beat the Mavs.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey - 16
Joel Embiid - 8
Jared McCain - 8
Paul George - 7
Quentin Grimes - 6
Kelly Oubre Jr - 5
Guerschon Yabusele - 4
Adem Bona - 2
Ricky Council IV - 2
Justin Edwards - 2
KJ Martin - 2
Jared Butler - 1
Jeff Dowtin Jr. - 1
Andre Drummond - 1
No One - 1

---

The Sixers faced off against the only team that’s having a more miserable season than they are.

While losses are more beneficial in the big picture, the Sixers were led by Quentin Grimes in a 130-125 win over the Dallas Mavericks Sunday.

The Sixers had 10 players available (and all 10 saw action) while Dallas had just eight.

P.J. Washington, returning after a seven-game absence, looked like he was in line for a monster day, scoring early and often. He had 20 points in the first half, helping stake the Mavs to a 68-64 lead. Dallas led by as many as 11 and seemed to have control of the game.

The Sixers turned up the defensive intensity and dominated the third quarter, 34-18. Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele led the way on both ends as the Sixers pushed their lead to as large as 14.

The Mavs made a fourth quarter push, but the Sixers put the game away at the free throw line to snap their three-game losing streak. They’re now 23-44, a full game better than the Nets, who solely have the fifth-best lottery odds.

The road trip continues as the Sixers take on the Houston Rockets Monday night. For now, let’s talk Bell Ringer.

Quentin Grimes: 28 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Grimes continues to produce at a high level — and up the price on his potential next contract.

Facing off against the team that traded him for Caleb Martin at the deadline, Grimes got off to a hot start. He struggled a bit in the second quarter, appearing to force the issue which led to a couple turnovers. He took the game over in the third quarter and was the best player on the floor in the second half.

Grimes is making it clear he’s much more than a 3-and-D threat. Not only has he been an efficient scorer at all three levels, but he’s showing playmaking chops with six more assists Sunday. It’s also encouraging to see he can have a game like this when his three-ball isn’t really falling (2-of-7).

I know many of you are disappointed by the result. I really get it. But sitting a healthy Grimes against his former team probably wouldn’t have been the best choice. This is a player you’re trying to re-sign this offseason. Benching him in a game like this likely would not have sat well with him or his representation.

Jalen Hood-Schifino: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 block

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Hello, Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Hood-Schifino looked mighty confident pulling up for several threes in the first half. He had a couple more possessions in the second half where he rose up for a midrange jumper and nailed in another trey. He scored a career-high 19 points, going 5-of-9 from deep.

Still just 21, Hood-Schifino is an interesting player to have in the mix. He’s less than two years removed from being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Sixers’ backcourt is a little crowded, but having too many young, intriguing guards feels like a good problem.

Side note: Hood-Schifino was sent to the Utah Jazz as part of the Luka Doncic trade. Only fitting he has a career day against the Mavs!

Guerschon Yabusele: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assists

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

It’s clear Yabusele is fighting tired legs and a balky right knee. This Bell Ringer candidacy is as much a shoutout for Yabu continuing to fight his ass off for the team as he’s done all season long. He was the only healthy “big” on the roster with rookie Adem Bona being the latest to hit the injury report.

While this Sixers’ offseason figures to be much less sexy than the previous one (so much for that!), the team retaining Grimes and Yabusele would have to be considered big wins.

Ricky Council IV: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

This was just a solid performance from Council. This is likely his ideal role in the NBA — play fast, fight for rebounds, make things happen on defense and make the occasional shot. His 10 rebounds Sunday tied his career high.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...-schifino-guerschon-yabusele-ricky-council-iv

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

A tale of two teams: tanking Sixers visit contending Rockets

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

The Philadelphia 76ers’ road trip rolls on Monday evening when the depleted, struggling squad faces a Houston Rockets team with playoff contention on their mind.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a real treat in store for tanking enthusiasts as they face an impressive Houston Rockets squad looking to extend a six-game win streak.

The Sixers are coming off a win on Sunday afternoon over possibly the only team in the NBA having a more unfortunate year, the Dallas Mavericks. It was one of the most well-rounded efforts from Philadelphia all season, if you can believe it, with seven Sixers scoring in the double-digits. Quentin Grimes continues to lead the way since coming to Philly, putting up 28 points on 10-for-19 field goal shooting in the contest.

This being the second of a back-to-back for the Sixers, though, means that the team has not yet submitted its injury report for Monday night’s contest. Recent availability patterns and known long-term injuries give us a relatively good idea who to expect out on the floor for Philly tonight, but we will update you when we know for sure.

Frankly, though, it likely will not matter. The Rockets are an incredibly talented, young squad currently sitting in second in the Western Conference on a six-game victory streak. Houston wants to extend this run any way they can, with the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies both right there with them in the West, with all three teams sitting at 43-25. The Rockets come into this matchup on a day’s rest, are off again Tuesday, and are a very healthy team. Amen Thompson remains sidelined after spraining his ankle earlier this month and Reed Sheppard, a rookie reserve guard, is out for the next few weeks with a fractured thumb.

That leaves the Sixers, down to maybe three and a half healthy players by now, to try to contain the likes of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet and their entire depth chart of supporting characters.

To put it simply, Houston is a contending, healthy team looking to stay in the win column against an incredibly-depleted Philadelphia squad that isn’t exactly upset with losing right now. Talk about the different trajectories a season can take...

Speaking of the Sixers’ trajectory, let’s take a look at the draft lottery situation as of Monday morning. The Sixers are currently in sixth lottery position at 23-44 on the season.

Both Philadelphia as well as the Brooklyn Nets, currently fifth-worst in the NBA, won their games on Sunday, so it’s a wash there. Meanwhile, though, the Toronto Raptors lost on Sunday, pulling them within just half a game of the Sixers in sixth. The Raptors also play again tonight, visiting the Phoenix Suns at 10 p.m. ET.

This range of fifth through seventh lottery positions is neck-and-neck and one can imagine this will likely be the case right down to the bitter end.

The same things cannot be said about tonight’s game, however, that has all the hallmarks of a slaughter in the making. Even Grimes’ best efforts might not be able to slow this one down.

The Sixers and Rockets tip off in Houston at 8 p.m. ET.

Game Details​

When: Monday, March 17, 8 p.m. ET

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia+

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...ck-nurse-draft-lottery-nba-western-conference

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers-Rockets: Second Half Thread

Can the Sixers win two straight games in Texas or will the tank get back on track?

Game Details​

When: Monday, March 17, 8:00pm ET
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...ets-second-half-thread-philadelphia-76ers-nba

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Defining what an acceptable win is for the Sixers

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Here is our attempt at finding game scripts in which the Sixers win and we don’t freak out.

It is totally understandable to be disappointed over Sunday’s win for the Sixers in Dallas. A loss would have given Philadelphia sole-possession of the fifth lottery slot, which is a very coveted spot for the Sixers to end the season in as many are likely aware of by now.

But, unfortunately, we’re still too far away from the end of the season to pencil in losses for every game the rest of the way. There are going to be a few wins here or there. Out of the 14 games left on Philly’s schedule, 10 are against sub-.500 teams. That might be a bit scary given how close the Sixers are with the Nets and Raptors in the lottery standings, but the Sixers played three sub-.500 teams last week and only won one of the games.

If Philly plays the rest of its sub-.500 opponents at a similar clip, and loses all five of its games against teams over .500, that’s three more wins for the rest of the season. For the entire season, which of course includes games in which Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all participated in, the Sixers only have a .343 winning percentage. Continuing on that clip over the final 15 games would mean Philly wins five more games between now and game 82 and that feels like the maximum amount of wins we’ll have to deal with in jeopardizing the lottery chances.

Having just defeated Dallas, and with those 10 games remaining against sub-.500 opponents, now felt like a good time to make an effort at defining what kinds of wins we should be able to live with to close out 2024-25. First off, let’s start with something I already touched on. The wins must come against other bad teams. By now, we should all know the Sixers are far from the only abomination in the NBA this season and lots of other teams want to lose games too. If on any given night, the Sixers prove they’re less bad than the opponent, that’s not the worst thing in the world.

While we’ll be clinging to hope all the way until lottery night that the Sixers keep their first-round pick, if they are able to retain it, it is basically a foregone conclusion the Sixers do not have their first-round pick in 2026. The protection on the pick will only cover the top four in next year’s draft, and we’re all sweating bullets over Nets and Raptors games just hoping to stay in the top six at the end of the current season from hell. So, when you look at the box score from the Dallas win, you’ll see a lot of contributions from new faces. Philly had seven scorers in double figures. Ricky Council IV and Jeff Dowtin Jr. were the only ones out of the seven that were on last year’s team and Council is still just 23 years old.

The other five scorers in double figures in Dallas on Sunday for the Sixers were Guerschon Yabusele, Justin Edwards, Quentin Grimes, Oshae Brissett and Jalen Hood-Schifino. Your guess is as good as mine regarding how many of these players are even on the Sixers next season, let alone become long-term roster pieces. But if a few of them shine here or there, return for next season to at least be a part of training camp, and go on to make next year’s roster, that’s a good thing given the team almost definitely won’t have its 2026 first-round pick provided it has one this year.

The point we’re making is that the Sixers have to find more creative ways to find young talent given the complications surrounding their first-round picks. Those complications will continue once the Oklahoma City first-round debt is paid as Philly still owes Brooklyn a first-rounder to complete the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade. In other words, Philly isn’t going to benefit from being horrible in the future, so a game that proves there are a handful of teams worse than even THIS Sixers team is probably a good thing. There’s really no better avenue for the short-term than trying to put together competitive rosters starting in 2025-26 anyway.

While the stakes are far from high, there’s probably some value in pulling out a close win here or there for these younger players as well. Sure, anyone can make the obvious observation that the Sixers are not good enough to blow teams out anyway, and they’d be correct as Philly has not won a game by double digits since Jan. 29 against Sacramento. But, the four games the Sixers have won since that Kings win were all tight in the fourth quarter. It might just be dumb luck, but if there’s even an ounce of mental growth that the younger players take from winning a game or two that’s close down the stretch, that could also be helpful in the future.

Now that we’ve explained what an acceptable win looks like, let’s get to what can’t happen. What can’t happen is what happened against Golden State to start March — or what nearly happened Monday night against Houston. The Sixers won that game against the Warriors at home 126-119 and shot a whopping 57.6% from three-point land as they made 19 of the 33 three-point field goals they attempted. Against the Rockets, the Sixers pushed the West’s No. 2 seed to overtime thanks to making a franchise-record 24 threes. They lost the game in the extra period despite Grimes setting another career high with 46 points.

The NBA is often described as a “make or miss league” and frankly that adage can be applicable to basketball at all levels these days. Any team that gets red hot from beyond the arc can win one game against any other opponent. If that were to happen against any of the four opponents remaining on Philly’s schedule that are over .500 and the Sixers win one of those games, it would not bode well for the lottery or for the team’s future.

Simply put, getting hot from the three-point line is not a skill that bad teams should expect to replicate. For ample context, in Sunday’s victory in Dallas, the Sixers actually scored more points than they did in the Golden State win, and shot 38.9% from behind the curved line. If the hot shooting nights happen against a few of the bad teams on the Sixers schedule who they might be able to beat anyway, that’s one thing. But stealing a win against a good team could be fatal.

Lastly, there’s Tyrese Maxey’s availability. Maxey is nursing hand and back injuries and did not play on Sunday in his hometown against the Mavericks. He’s been traveling with the team though which might signal a possible return before the current six-game road trip concludes in New Orleans next Monday. With the injury history of Joel Embiid and Paul George far more extensive than that of Maxey, and with Maxey much younger than Embiid and George, it’s understandable that Maxey would be allowed to play at some point before the end of the season.

Additionally, this season has been particularly challenging for Maxey who has admitted multiple times that losing is not something he’s done a lot of in his career and not something he ever wants to get used to. Maxey comes off as the kind of guy that would want to suit up for at least a handful of games to close out the season as missing what would amount to the season’s final six weeks if Maxey was shut down. That is not something that would sit well with his competitive juices. For tank enthusiasts, this is a necessary evil of having a player like Maxey on the roster. If he returns there is no doubt that he will be giving it his all. At full health, that might be enough for Maxey to win a game or two for the Sixers all by himself. If those Maxey games occur against some of the bottom feeders on the schedule, then it should be easier for everyone to deal with.

It seemed like most pro-tank fans earlier in the season when it was a discussion as to if the Sixers should tank or try to make the play-in tournament knew about the bumpy ride that would ensue. Taking a chance at the lottery always came with risk, but the pro-tanking side of this debate in December, January and February was centered around the fact that the lottery was worth playing and that this Sixers team was not going to do anything of consequence in the playoffs. That’s been proven correct, but what also looks to be accurate is the sweaty days, weeks and months we’re embarking upon leading up to the lottery. Buckle up, Sixers fans. This is going a bumpy ride over the last 15 games.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...tank-2025-nba-draft-lottery-odds-tyrese-maxey

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

5 second-round Sixers targets to watch in NCAA Tournament

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At least we know the Sixers will have this pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.

With the NCAA Tournament tipping off on Tuesday night in Dayton the eyes of basketball fans across America will be fixated on the college ranks for the next three weeks before we hit the NBA playoffs. The eyes of Sixers fans have been locked in on the lottery standings as the team plays out the string and hopes for greener pastures in the offseason and in 2025-26. While we encourage you to monitor prospects the Sixers could draft in the first round this summer, by now everyone is aware of the fact that they may not retain their first-rounder.

Whether the Sixers retain their first-rounder or not, an underrated piece of the Quentin Grimes trade with Dallas was Philly re-acquiring its own second-rounder. Recent drafts have shown that the second round might not be the crapshoot it’s portrayed to be. There have been rotation players and, in some cases, instant starters for playoff teams selected in the first 10 picks of the second round, which is where Philadelphia’s second-rounder will land.

It will be especially important for the Sixers to hit on this pick if they keep this year’s first-rounder. Keeping the first this year would practically guarantee no first-rounder for the Sixers in 2026 with the protection on the debt owed to Oklahoma City dropping to just the top four. Philadelphia already does not have its second-rounder in 2026 meaning the Sixers are staring down the likelihood of no picks in the 2026 draft. Therefore, you would think Philly will eye instant contributors in this summer’s draft given it will almost definitely hope to contend next season. Here are some names to watch during the NCAA Tournament this week who should be selected in the range Philadelphia’s second-round pick will fall.

Johni Broome, Auburn​

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 240

Position: PF/C

Age: 22

Synopsis: Broome is an easy player to root for. He’s in the running for the National Player of the Year award and has done nothing but improve throughout his storied college career. He was a two-time Ohio Valley Conference first-team selection at Morehead State before transferring to Auburn and not missing a beat having been twice selected to the All-SEC first team.

As far as his skillset, Broome looks to be a pretty polished player. He’s a walking double-double who’s now up to averaging three assists per game as a big man to go with slightly greater than two blocks per game. He’s even shown a willingness to develop a three-point shot in his later college years which can only help. College stats don’t always translate to NBA production and it seems like the lack of a higher ceiling in the NBA is preventing Broome from being a first-round lock. He’s also set to turn 23 this summer just after the draft and older players can sometimes get unnecessarily pushed too far down boards.

Broome’s well-roundedness and skill development feel like things that can keep him in the NBA for a while though. Maintaining a strong work ethic will allow a coachable player like Broome to grow into an NBA role of some sort. Considering the shortage of good options for Philadelphia this season in the frontcourt behind Joel Embiid, there’s an easy path to seeing Broome make at least some starts if he were a Sixer next season. Broome is projected to go in the early 30s so he may not make it to Philly’s pick. An argument could also be made that a strong NCAA Tournament could put Broome into the 20s. But he’s been in the national spotlight for years now and still sits as a fringe first-rounder entering this year’s tournament. It seems like he will be selected somewhere between the 27th and 37th overall picks.

NCAA Tournament first game: Auburn vs. St. Francis (PA)/Alabama State on Thursday at 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS

JT Toppin, Texas Tech​

Height: 6’9”

Weight: 225

Position: PF

Age: 19

Synopsis: While age is not one of them, there are some similarities between Toppin and Broome. First off, they both have summer birthdays and Toppin will turn 20 in June and Broome celebrates his 23rd birthday in July. Both players are transfers as Toppin migrated across state lines from New Mexico last year to Texas Tech this year. Both are walking double-doubles who were just named the players of the year in their respective conferences. We mentioned Broome’s outside shooting improvements, and Toppin has also attempted more three-pointers with the Red Raiders than he did as a Lobo last season. Toppin has also greatly improved as a free throw shooter going from 56.5% at New Mexico in 2023-24 to 70.1% with Texas Tech this season.

Things appear to have come together a little faster for Toppin. Toppin transferred to a high-major program quicker than Broome did and has now hit the scouting radar prior to turning 20. Toppin is neither the shot blocker nor the passer that Broome is, so there’s probably a bit more skill development for Toppin, but it looks like Toppin has enough talent to earn at least a medium-sized role as a rookie.

NCAA Tournament first game: Texas Tech vs. UNC Wilmington on Thursday at 10:10 p.m. ET on TruTV

Ian Jackson, North Carolina​

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 190

Position: SG

Age: 20

Synopsis: As far as his fit with the Sixers, Johnson’s would be the least clear as a rookie. At this point one would have to think Philadelphia will prioritize bringing back Quentin Grimes in restricted free agency and figure out the minutes next season accordingly with Grimes, Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey. But frankly, if you’re picking Jackson, you’re not expecting a ton in his rookie season anyway.

Jackson has only started 12 games for a North Carolina team that didn’t belong in the NCAA Tournament. His production has been rocky but his highs have certainly been high enough to get the attention of NBA scouts as a freshman. Jackson was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school and is shooting close to 40% from three-point land this season. He seems to have enough shot-creation skills to get hot and his 12 points per game for the Tar Heels this season is actually pretty impressive when you consider he’s only played 24 minutes per night for Hubert Davis.

If Jackson were to return to North Carolina next season, become a more consistent scorer and start more games, he could end up being a lottery pick in the 2026 draft. But if he declares for this year’s draft, enough teams will probably be hesitant to pull the trigger on him in the first 25-30 picks. Given his inconsistencies and lack of playmaking, Jackson is the exact kind of prospect that could do himself a lot of good with a string of big games if the Tar Heels were to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Nevertheless, if drafted by the Sixers, he would be a best player available pick and someone you would hope could grow into a rotation down the line due to his offensive upside.

NCAA Tournament first game: North Carolina vs. San Diego State on Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTV*

*Should North Carolina advance out of the First Four, it would play Ole Miss on Friday at 4:05 p.m. ET on TNT

Darrion Williams, Texas Tech​

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 225

Position: SG

Age: 21

Synopsis: Standing a couple inches taller than Jackson, Williams would certainly be a better fit with the Sixers. Williams is another transfer player on our watch list as the Sacramento native began his college career at Nevada. His scoring has increased in each of his college seasons and he gives a good blend of rebounding and passing. Williams is a threat to score at all three levels and his variety of skills makes him playable in a lot of different lineup combinations.

Williams turns 22 next month so he’s on the older side as well and is projected safely in the second round in most mocks. But the skillset seems intriguing and he should be available for the Sixers to select. Williams might be someone that doesn’t see much time out of the gate as the Sixers figure out how to best utilize his variety of skills. But especially if the Sixers move Paul George at next year’s trade deadline, Williams would be a candidate for more minutes towards the end of next season. If you’re into these fun quirks, Williams transferred to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas for his final two seasons of high school ball. That’s the same high school that one of the Phillies top prospects — Justin Crawford — attended.

NCAA Tournament first game: Texas Tech vs. UNC Wilmington on Thursday at 10:10 p.m. ET on TruTV

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton​

Height: 7’1”

Weight: 270

Position: C

Age: 23

Synopsis: We begin and end our second-round watch list with highly-decorated college players. Kalkbrenner’s resume is not as long as Broome’s, but then again no one else’s is either. But Kalkbrenner is a menace of a rim protecter having won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award for a fourth time this season. The only other player to do that was Patrick Ewing.

Offensively, Kalkbrenner has flashed enough to get drafted this summer. He had a 49-point outburst in Creighton’s season opener and had a slew of 20+ point outings in Big East play. He’s developed somewhat of a three-point shot too. He only attempted two in his freshman season at Creighton and ended up going 19-57 from the three-point line in the regular season this year. It’s still just 33% but it’s a clear improvement.

As far as his rookie year role with Philadelphia, Kalkbrenner would probably be battling it out with Adem Bona for some bench minutes. Standing at 7’1”, if some of Kalkbrenner’s ability to score in the post can translate to the NBA, he could certainly stick around in the league given his penchant for shot blocking. And hey, if your bracket and bets aren’t enough to get you juiced up for the first game on Thursday afternoon, well that game happens to feature the standout for the Blue Jays.

NCAA Tournament first game: Creighton vs Louisville on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...broome-jt-toppin-ian-jackson-ryan-kalkbrenner

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers offseason mailbag and discussion thread

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

With the Sixers playing out the string on a lost season, let’s look ahead to the offseason and start answering some of the team’s biggest questions.

Hello, fellow Sixers sickos. If you’re still reading this blog amidst this lost season, you’ve likely begun looking ahead to the offseason. Welcome to the party.

I’ve already started churning out some articles about the Sixers’ biggest offseason questions—including the futures of Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele—but we want to know what’s on your mind. What are the main Sixers-related things you’re wondering about heading into the offseason?

Every week, I’ll be hosting a mailbag and discussion thread to gather those questions on Wednesday. I’ll follow up Thursday with a post answering some of those questions, and I’ll also hop into the comments to answer anything else that you’re already pondering.

If you have nerdy CBA questions, all the better! I’m already planning to write about Kelly Oubre Jr.’s future soon, along with the salary-cap implications of potentially keeping their top-six-protected first-round pick, but I’m always happy to field questions as a jumping-off point for a potential article down the road.

The best part of all: I won’t be using ChatGPT to answer any questions about the Sixers’ big offseason quandaries! Sorry not sorry, Daryl.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/3/19/24388868/sixers-offseason-mailbag-and-discussion-thread

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers Bell Ringer: League-best Thunder roll Sixers in OKC

Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images

Quentin Grimes and Chuma Okeke show themselves well as Sixers drop another one to Thunder.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey - 16
Joel Embiid - 8
Quentin Grimes - 8
Jared McCain - 8
Paul George - 7
Kelly Oubre Jr - 5
Guerschon Yabusele - 4
Adem Bona - 2
Ricky Council IV - 2
Justin Edwards - 2
KJ Martin - 2
Jared Butler - 1
Jeff Dowtin Jr - 1
Andre Drummond - 1
No One - 1

---

The Sixers traveled to Oklahoma City for a Wednesday night tilt with NBA leading Thunder. OKC was without MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, out for this contest for rest. The Thunder were also without starters Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Sixers would once again trot out a never before used starting lineup combination as they often have this year.

Operation Capture the Flagg was in full effect from the opening tip in this one as the Sixers went into a 10-0 hole immediately to start the game. The Sixers got nine points apiece from Quentin Grimes and Chuma Okeke but OKC took hold of a commanding 42-26 lead after one.

after 1. @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/y0HI7ADUMK

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 20, 2025​

The Sixers, like they continue to do throughout the dog days of this season, fought back in the second quarter, cutting the Oklahoma City lead to as little as just six points on different occasions. An end of the quarter flurry capped off with back-to-back threes from Aaron Wiggins and Chet Holmgren allowed the Thunder to push their lead out to 70-56 at the halftime break.

points for @qdotgrimes pic.twitter.com/Y4B1GAcWT3

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 20, 2025​

halftime in OKC. @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/OLD8DIQ5Ve

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 20, 2025​

The third quarter of this one made the fourth nothing more than a formality as the Thunder won the quarter by a score of 33-18 to take a 103-74 lead into the final period.

OKC ended the game winning by a score of 133-100. OKC got 27 points from Aaron Wiggins, 21 points and five three-pointers from former Sixer Isaiah Joe, and a career game from Jaylin Williams in which he turned in a triple-double pouring in 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists.

final. @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/LNXOcIMYnN

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 20, 2025​

Now for the Bell Ringer.

Quentin Grimes: 28 points, 5 assists, 10-of-21 shooting

Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images

Quentin Grimes once again turned in an efficient scoring performance. In what has been a season from hell, Grimes remains a major bright spot and reason of optimism for the Sixers. Grimes knocked down three three-pointers, knocked down 5-of-6 attempts from the line, and displayed an array of shot making and scoring prowess from all three levels. The consistency and ease in which Grimes continues to effortlessly dominant these games make it feel much more of a legitimate revelation as opposed to a typical NBA March Linsanity type run.

Chuma Okeke: 14 points, 15 rebounds, 5-of-6 from field, 4-of-5 from three

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Chuma Okeke, now in his second separate stint on a 10-day contract with the Sixers, put in the best performance of the year. The former Auburn Tigers star showed a lot of what made him a once promising prospect out of college. Okeke notched a double-double in the first half alone putting in 11 points and pulling down 11 boards as well. The jumbo sized forward knocked down four three-pointers and kept the Sixers within striking distance early in this game. Okeke, while void of the vertical pop and standstill burst he once had in college before a couple of devastating injuries, still has plenty of juice leaning on his all-around game and skillset to try and make his mark in the NBA in hopes of eventually sticking on a roster. Let's hope Okeke can build on this performance and continue to put positive performances on tape.

Chuma Okeke in the first half:

11 PTS
11 REB

His first double-double in over 3 years. pic.twitter.com/0egNG6XcWM

— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 20, 2025​

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...ell-ringer-thunder-quentin-grimes-chuma-okeke

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Offseason mailbag: Quentin Grimes’ future, mid-level exception options and more

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

Unsurprisingly, many Sixers fans are already wondering what’s next for Quentin Grimes this offseason.

On Wednesday, we asked you for the top offseason questions on your mind as the Sixers circle the drain on this season. You guys cooked with gas.

Before we dive in, I’m planning to do these every Wednesday moving forward. So if you have something else on your mind after reading these, drop them in the comments or hit me up at Bluesky and we’ll save it for next week’s mailbag.

Unsurprisingly, we got multiple questions about Quentin Grimes and how he might affect the Sixers’ options with their mid-level exception this offseason, so let’s start there:

Philly_Berlin
When the offseason starts, the Sixers will be waiting on Oubre, Drummond and Gordon to decide whether they pick up their player options. They will also have Grimes as a RFA where they can match an offer sheet. And they have Yabusele who they hope to resign if they can use the non-taxpayer exception.
My question is how they should prioritize their moves. On Day 1, will that non-taxpayer exception be available to them based on their current cap holds? If so, would you agree that the Sixers should move quickly to get Yabusele signed to a deal before Grimes gets signed to an offer sheet?
Basically, my concern is that if Grimes gets an offer sheet that the Sixers match, that might push their cap figure higher and they maybe will only have the taxpayer exception available instead of the higher non-taxpayer exception. But I'm not certain of that and wondering if you can shed some light on how you see the offseason financial outlook on day 1 and how the Sixers should prioritize their moves?
I'm guessing part of the unknown is the cap hold for a potential 1st round pick. If possible, could you can lay out how that cap hold would factor in for picks 1-6?

Is there any possible Grimes contract that could push the Sixers into the second apron? Affect their ability to use the MLE or BAE?

— (@franciszomes.bsky.social) 2025-03-19T22:41:47.709Z

Do you see the Sixers being able to use the full MLE (14M) or does a Grimes signing put that out of reach?

— tk76 (@tk76.bsky.social) 2025-03-19T23:19:42.581Z

I recently wrote about Grimes’ future—a special shout-out to this comment, which aged like spoiled milk—and how that could affect Guerschon Yabusele as well.

The TL;DR version: Between Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, the Sixers already have $149.1 million on their books next season. The first apron is projected to be $195.9 million. If the Sixers use the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception to re-sign Yabusele, they can’t cross the first apron under any circumstance. If they use the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception to re-sign him, they’ll be hard-capped at the $207.8 million second apron instead.

I’m assuming Andre Drummond will pick up his $5.0 million player option for next season (he’d be crazy not to), so that brings the Sixers up to $154.1 million with five players under contract. If they pick up their team options on Adem Bona ($2.0 million), Justin Edwards ($2.0 million), Ricky Council IV ($2.2 million), Jared Butler ($2.3 million) and Lonnie Walker IV ($2.9 million)—or add five veteran-minimum contracts in their place (roughly $2.3 million each)—that adds another $11.4-11.5 million to their books. They’d be up to around $165.5 million for 10 players.

Using the full non-taxpayer MLE on Yabusele would push them near $180 million, which would leave roughly $16 million for Grimes and their other three roster spots. Grimes alone might garner more than $16 million based on how he’s played over the past month. And that’s not even counting the possibility of Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.4 million) and Eric Gordon ($3.5 million) picking up their respective player options, nor the Sixers keeping their top-six-protected first-round pick. (If the Sixers do keep the pick, it would have a cap hit between $8.3 million and $13.3 million.)

So, if the Sixers do re-sign Grimes, I’d say it’s far more likely than not that they won’t have access to the non-taxpayer MLE to use on Yabusele. They still might be able to keep all three of Grimes, Yabu and Oubre and stay under the second apron, but that would require convincing Yabu to take the taxpayer MLE, which is no sure thing.

Philly_Berlin
Let's say that Philly resigns Yabusele and Grimes and Oubre, Drummond, and Gordon all opt out. And then Philly gets a little lucky in the draft lottery and ends up with a pick in the 2-4 range. Which player after Flagg goes at 1 would be the ideal fit with the Sixers roster? I think if Oubre opts out, we could go for one of the PG's to come off the bench with McCain as backups to Maxey and Grimes. But curious how you would rank the 2-4 guys based on fit given the scenario that I described.

I would defer to the many draft gurus that we have here at LB. Watching the Sixers was painful enough this year; I couldn’t subject myself to a below-.500 Rutgers squad, even if it did have two likely top-five picks. (I’m saving my draft prep for post-lottery in case they do keep the pick.)

With that said... if Harper and Bailey are the consensus top two picks after Flagg, I’d consider trading down in that scenario. The Sixers are in a position where they may need to accumulate assets to eventually offload Embiid or George’s contracts if their health continues to go awry. They also aren’t necessarily in need of more star power, particularly in the backcourt. (I doubt Harper or Bailey would be thrilled to be relegated as backups right away, too.)

So, my inclination would be to explore the trade market and see what they could get for a pick in the 2-4 range. If they could land a lower first-round pick in this year’s draft along with another future first-rounder or two, it might be hard to turn that down.

Among the recent additions to the team over the last several weeks, who do you think has the best chance of coming back next season?

— Jovan Alford (@jovan10.bsky.social) 2025-03-19T22:59:29.552Z

This has flown somewhat under the radar given, well, *gestures wildly at everything else that happened this season*. But... did Daryl Morey and the Sixers front office low-key cook ever since the trade deadline?

Taking a flier on recent first-round picks such as Jalen Hood-Schifino (No. 17 in 2023) and Chuma Okeke (No. 16 in 2019) is the exact type of low-risk, high-upside strategy that can help the Sixers salvage whatever’s left of this godforsaken season. If any of them pop, the Sixers still have enough flexibility under the luxury tax—roughly $850,000 at the moment—to waive someone and sign them to a rest-of-season contract.

With that said, these guys are getting more run now than they ever would if the Sixers were fully healthy. So, as much as I enjoyed seeing Okeke gobble up 15 rebounds (including seven offensive boards!) in Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s fair to wonder what place a career 31.7 percent three-point shooter would have on this team moving forward.

Hood-Schifino had a rough game against OKC, but he doesn’t turn 22 until June. Since he’s on a two-way deal, he’ll be a restricted free agent this offseason if the Sixers tender him a qualifying offer. They might not want to commit that many roster spots to young players if they keep all four of Bona, Butler, Edwards and RC4 as well, but I think they’re better off taking home run swings on younger guys rather than signing another AARP veteran. So, he’d be my pick.

If Embiid and George can’t stay healthy moving forward, hitting on cheap lottery tickets might be the only way to salvage whatever’s left of this era.

If the Sixers lose their pick and cheap out Grimes. When will this team make me smile again?

— Phil E Moose (@philemoose.bsky.social) 2025-03-20T00:00:38.772Z

This is a trick question. As LB’s Dave Early wrote Wednesday, the answer in that scenario is “never.” With that said: The Eagles just won the Super Bowl. Nothing can hurt us right now. Not even the Sixers.

Thanks to everyone for the questions this week! Again, please drop in any others in the comments section below and/or on Bluesky, and we’ll run this back next week. After all, it’s not like we have anything better to do at this time of year...

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Salary Swish and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Follow Bryan on Bluesky.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...on-options-nba-free-agency-guerschon-yabusele

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

March Madness discussion thread: Which prospects are you most excited to watch?

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The Sixers could have a top-six and will have a premium second-rounder. Which prospects are you most looking forward to watching during March Madness?

March Madness is upon us!

There are two reasons why that’s great news for Sixers fans: 1. You can actually watch meaningful, exciting basketball and 2. Several players taking the floor are legitimate NBA prospects that could interest the Sixers.

Harrison Grimm recently highlighted a few of the lottery picks that could be available while Greg Frank took a look at some intriguing guys that could be available in the second round. SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell does an excellent job every year with his mock drafts and NBA Draft coverage.

Thursday’s slate of game starts at 12:15 p.m. with the South bracket as eight-seed Creighton takes on nine-seed Louisville at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The day will end in the West bracket with three-seed Texas Tech facing off against 14-seed UNC-Wilmington at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.

Which prospects are you most looking forward to watching? Hop in the comments below!

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...ncaa-tournament-nba-draft-lottery-odds-sixers

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers and Spurs meet on crawl toward end of the season

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

The Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs have both had tough seasons of underperformance and injury. The two teams meet Friday night in the final stretch of the season.

Thirteen games remain. We’re almost there.

The Philadelphia 76ers begin the second half of this six-game road trip with a visit to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. The last time these two teams met, both starting lineups looked a lot different than how they’ll look Friday night, with the Sixers and Spurs both struggling to string together much success before having the plug finally pulled on their seasons by injuries.

Speaking of the last time these squads faced off, here’s something to make you realize just how long this season has felt. Back on Dec. 23, 2024, the Sixers and Spurs met in South Philadelphia, and this happened:

Now Joel Embiid has been ejected from the game by official Jenna Schroeder.

She is the same ref that made the technical foul calls/ejected Andre Drummond earlier before he was let back in the game after review. pic.twitter.com/kwFs2s0TIC

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) December 24, 2024​

That’s right, this occurred just about three months ago. Not quite three months, but just about. Don’t you feel like we’ve all lived entire lifetimes since this happened?

I’m sorry. Here comes the injury report for Friday night.

Adem Bona (ankle), Andre Drummond (toe), Kyle Lowry (hip), Tyrese Maxey (back/finger) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) are all out for the Sixers. Lonnie Walker IV is probable after missing four games with a concussion. That is all in addition to Joel Embiid, Paul George, Jared McCain and Eric Gordon, who have all been ruled out for the season.

The Spurs have had their own unfortunate luck with injuries, the most significant being losing team leader Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season after the young star was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder back in mid-February. Then, just about a week ago, it was announced that De’Aaron Fox would undergo season-ending surgery to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie finger. (Turns out the pinkie is pretty important for playing basketball...)

Charles Bassey will also miss this one for the Spurs.

So, it’s a shorter injury list than the Sixers, but still a pretty impactful one. It wasn’t as if the Spurs’ season was going swimmingly before losing Wemby, either — San Antonio was already 23-29. Now, they’re 29-39, and sit 13th in the Western Conference, multiple games back out of a Play-In spot. Meanwhile, the 76ers sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, also multiple games out of a Play-In spot.

What else do these teams both happen to have in common? They probably don’t want to win this game! That brings us back to the good old NBA Draft lottery.

The Sixers are in a neck-and-neck race for fifth lottery positioning alongside the Brooklyn Nets. As of Friday morning, 23-46 Philadelphia is half a game behind Brooklyn after they fell in overtime to the Indiana Pacers last night. The Nets are off Friday night, so the Sixers will be able to retie with Brooklyn in fifth with a loss on Friday night.

With the New Orleans Pelicans holding a four-game buffer in fourth, ending up alone (no ties) in fifth may be the best the Sixers can hope for. That position gives Philadelphia a 63.9% chance to retain their first-round pick (protected for picks 1 through 6) and a 10.5% chance of snagging the first overall pick.

The 23-39 Spurs, meanwhile, are currently in the ninth lottery position, but sit within striking distance of the eight spot, just half a game behind the Miami Heat. San Antonio is also in a neck-and-neck battle in the lottery, with the Heat just ahead and the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers right behind them.

The Sixers and Spurs tip off at 8 p.m. ET.

But, be honest, you’ll probably be watching March Madness. We’ll forgive it, this time... as long as you let us know how your brackets are doing and who you plan to watch today on our March Madness discussion thread.

Game Details​

When: Friday, March 21, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...ctor-wembanyama-deaaron-fox-nba-lottery-draft

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers Bell Ringer: Four 20-point scorers not enough in loss to Spurs

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards led four Sixers with 20-plus points but the Spurs used a strong fourth quarter to pull out the win.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey - 16
Quentin Grimes - 9
Joel Embiid - 8
Jared McCain - 8
Paul George - 7
Kelly Oubre Jr - 5
Guerschon Yabusele - 4
Adem Bona - 2
Ricky Council IV - 2
Justin Edwards - 2
KJ Martin - 2
Jared Butler - 1
Jeff Dowtin Jr - 1
Andre Drummond - 1
No One - 1

---

The Sixers had four players score 20-plus points ... and still lost. Call it the best of both worlds.

Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards each scored a team-high 25 points but it wasn’t enough as the Sixers fell to the Spurs 128-120.

San Antonio got off to a good start, but the Sixers were able to hang in the game thanks in large part to Guerschon Yabusele’s physicl play. They trailed just 28-26 after one. In the second quarter the Spurs really started cooking, dropping 36 points on their way to taking a 64-52 lead into the locker room.

After a Chris Paul heater pushed San Antonio’s advantage up to 16, the Sixers started to chip away. Grimes, Edwards and Yabusele were joined by Ricky Council IV during a scoring barrage in which the Sixers dropped 43 points. Council nailed a 30-foot three to give the Sixers the lead heading into the fourth.

After a solid start to the final frame, the Sixers started fading — it’s expected with so many guys playing big minutes as part of a difficult road trip. The Spurs had the much fresher legs as they won the fourth 37-25 on their way to the victory.

The Sixers’ six-game road trip continues Sunday in Atlanta as they take on the Hawks. At 23-47, the Sixers are currently tied with the Brooklyn Nets with the fifth best lottery odds.

For now, let’s talk Bell Ringer.

Quentin Grimes: 25 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

What’s been funny about Grimes is there are games where it just doesn’t seem like his night early on. Then he winds up with a stat line like the one he produced Friday. He took only three shots in the first quarter, got going in the second and then took the game over for a stretch in the third.

Grimes is just constantly in attack mode and is playing with supreme confidence. This was his sixth straight game with 25-plus points. If you’re looking for reasons to support this being legitimate growth and not just empty numbers from Grimes, he also dropped a career-high 10 dimes tonight. His previous career high was nine, which he set back on March 3. This looks a lot more like a 24-year-old player figuring it out than any kind of stat-padding.

The only blemish from Grimes during this recent stretch is turnovers. He had five Friday. With his current usage rate, an increase in turnovers is expected, but it is something he’ll have to figure out.

Justin Edwards: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

Edwards has been so impressive as an undrafted rookie. He looks like a legitimate two-way rotation wing. His recent play has me wondering if he could be more.

The 21-year-old has scored at least 18 points in his last three games, including tying his rookie career-high of 25 Friday. A sprained ankle was clearly hindering Edwards out of the All-Star break, but he’s been excellent with his recent role increase. If anything it looks like there’s room for him to be even more aggressive. Plus, he continues to excel on the defensive end. The Sixers got a keeper.

With uncertainty surrounding Kelly Oubre, Jr. returning next season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Edwards have a chance to crack the starting lineup next season.

@sixersnba.bsky.social Justin Edwards has his third straight game with at least 18 points. The only @NBA rookies with longer such streaks this season are Jared McCain (nine games) and Alex Sarr(four games). h/t @stathead.com

— (@sixersstats.bsky.social) 2025-03-22T01:32:42.699Z

Guerschon Yabusele: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

Yabusele gets a ton of credit for playing on a balky right knee for over a month now. Friday was the healthiest he’s looked in quite some time.

He was seemingly everywhere from the opening tip. A couple early dunks seemed to help get him going and he took advantage of the Spurs not playing a true NBA big all night. Yabusele was a beast on the glass. He served as an offensive hub, most effectively working the two-man game with Grimes. He used the combo of power and touch that earned him the nickname “Dancing Bear” to score on the Spurs in the post.

After it looked like he was understandably fading to close the season, this game was a reminder of how valuable a player Yabusele can be.

Ricky Council IV: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

Talk about flipping the script. Council had a brutal shooting night against the Thunder Wednesday, going 1-of-11 from the floor. On Friday it felt like he couldn’t miss, going 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from three for a new career-high 20 points. While the shots from deep helped, this might’ve also been Council’s best game as a driver as he finished strongly at the rim or drew fouls.

While the scoring was great, Nick Nurse was probably even happier about the eight rebounds.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...n-edwards-guerschon-yabusele-ricky-council-iv

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Despite four Sixers scoring 20-plus points, the team falls to Spurs

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

The Sixers had four players drop at least 20 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Spurs went down to the Spurs Friday.

Career nights and the lottery position stays intact. We’re back to moral victories.

The Sixers’ comeback fell short Friday night, falling 128-120 to the San Antonio Spurs.

For the first time since February of last season, four Sixers reached 20 points as Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards led everyone with 25 points apiece. Edwards shot 9-of-14 to match his career-best. Grimes went 10-of-20 from the field while also dishing out a career-high 10 assists.

Ricky Council IV had a career-high 20 points while also having seven rebounds, and Guerschon Yabusele went for 23 on 11-of-16 shooting. Jeremy Sochan led the Spurs with 23.

Lonnie Walker IV returned from a concussion after a four-game absence, giving the Sixers nine available players. Jeff Dowtin Jr. remained out as he’s running out of two-way days. The Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, both of whom are out for the season.

Here are some grades at the buzzer.

Justin Edwards ​

There have been times where it feels like Edwards can fade into the background for a couple minutes at a time, but when he’s scoring as efficiently as this game, his feel for the game is probably right.

His three-point shooting stayed hot, and he just seemed to pick the best times to attack the defense, and looked pretty willing to command the offense in the fourth before Grimes returned to the game. Whatever the tonic, the rook is certainly in a groove at the moment.

J3DWARDS. pic.twitter.com/20LI8u3BwU

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 22, 2025​

.@sixers @Jedwards3_ has tied his career-high 25 points tonight. He joins the following @NBA rookies as the only ones with multiple 25-point performances this season:

Castle - 5@J_mccain_24 - 4
Risacher - 3
Knecht - 3
J. Wells - 2
Ware - 2
Filipowski - 2

h/t @Stathead

— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) March 22, 2025​

Grade: A-

Quentin Grimes ​

The beginning of this one had quite a different look for Grimes as he only took three shots in the first quarter. His ball movement was a big reason they got out to an early lead though, as well as a steal on Stephon Castle who thought he was out of harm’s way.

The majority of his 10 assists on the night were nothing flashy, just making the right pass to find the next guy open. He turns it over a lot though, so it’s good to see he is capable of finding teammates. He gave it away five times in this game, and most of them were attempts at a highlight pass. His averages would probably look a lot cleaner if he was just 10% less ambitious.

That ambition likely goes into what’s made him such an effective scorer though, and he did get to show that part of his game after a passive start. After fueling a 19-3 to bring a comeback, he sat for the first seven minutes of the fourth. How late he plays into games the rest of the way will certainly be interesting.

ball movement pic.twitter.com/Ulhlv3kOGj

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 22, 2025​

Grade: B+

Guerschon Yabusele​

Yabusele had one of his better games in quite some time. He was everywhere — hitting the glass, being an offense hub at the elbows, and using his strength and touch to light up the Spurs in the post. He stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, nine rebounds (four offensive) and five assists.

It seems like Yabu and Grimes are starting to find a little chemistry in the two-man game as well. We’ll see if they have the opportunity to build on that partnership neat season.

Grade: B+

Chuma Okeke ​

It’s probably not fair to go in this section, but Okeke was one of the few Sixers who looked interested in help defense through the first two and a half quarters. Sochan was the primary beneficiary of that, running free off of screens and cuts. One of Okeke’s highlight plays was meeting him at the rim for a block.

It’s no surprise he wasn’t looking for his shot as much as when he was on fire in OKC — he didn’t take a three until the fourth, but he drilled it. He cleaned up a couple of plays early, and threw a nice dump-off pass to Oshae Brissett in transition.

Brissett Bucket. pic.twitter.com/u1i5Sbu8Ul

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 22, 2025​

Grade: B

Lonnie Walker IV​

Walker certainly needed to ease his way back into things, as he fumbled a loose ball that could have been a layup on one of his first touches. He also got locked up in the backcourt for an eight-second violation. He was only able to play 11 minutes in the first half before the broadcast said he was done for the night due to a headache.

Grade: Good thing there’s a concussion protocol, everybody!

Ricky Council IV​

It feels like something that’s swung nearly every Sixers’ game so far is whether Council makes a ridiculous three in the second half with the shot clock winding down. He drilled a 30-footer at the end of the third quarter, then opened the fourth with a couple more.

He got into his other typical spots, hitting his turnaround from the paint and a huge transition dunk in the first half. Once his threes started falling he only felt more confident in looking for his shot.

just in the RICK of time! pic.twitter.com/j7QO9ucyIu

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 22, 2025​

Grade: A

Up next the Sixers briefly swing back East as they’re set to take on the Atlanta Hawks Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...ntin-grimes-justin-edwards-guerschon-yabusele

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers-Spurs: Second Half Thread

The Sixers continue their road trip as they take on a Spurs team also without two All-Stars for the remainder of the season

Game Details​

When: Friday, March 21, 8 p.m. ET

Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX

Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...-spurs-2025-nba-second-half-discussion-thread

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers head to Atlanta with just a dismal dozen games remaining

Tonight’s game in Atlanta begins an incredibly soft stretch of the schedule which may determine the Sixers’ lottery fortunes.

Mercifully, we are entering the home stretch of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers having just 12 games left on the regular season slate. The Tankathon watch is getting hot and heavy, with the Sixers currently sporting the sixth-worst record in the Eastern Conference, nestled a half-game “ahead” of Brooklyn and a full game “behind” Toronto. These final dozen games will determine whether the Sixers have a 63.9 percent, 45.8 percent, or 31.9 percent chance of retaining their top-six-protected first-round pick. Philadelphia better strap on its tank helmets.

Tonight’s opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, played last night, hosting the Warriors and coming away with a 124-115 victory. Atlanta now sits at 34-36, good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, meaning they’re likely looking at a couple cracks at getting a win during the Play-In Tournament to secure a spot in the playoffs. Granted, Jalen Johnson’s season-ending injury was unfortunate, but have the Hawks overtaken the Chicago Bulls as the league’s preeminent “treadmill of mediocrity” team? I guess it’s tough to throw stones from inside the glass house that the Sixers have built, but I wonder if Hawks fans have caught Play-In Tournament fever.

The Sixers’ injury report for tonight is as lengthy as we’ve become accustomed to, with a reminder that the below group does not include the handful of guys already deemed out for the season. The only thing I ask is that Philadelphia’s medical staff gathers up enough common sense to not allow Tyrese Maxey to take the floor using 8.5 fingers for the rest of the year.

The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow's game @ Atlanta:

OUT: Tyrese Maxey (finger/back), Kyle Lowry (hip), Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee), Adem Bona (ankle), Andre Drummond (toe), Lonnie Walker (concussion)

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) March 22, 2025​

For the Hawks, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela, Kobe Bufkin, Larry Nance Jr., Keaton Wallace, and Jacob Toppin were all out against Golden State. Trae Young (achilles) and Caris LeVert (knee) played through a probable tag last night, so we’ll see if they’re both still available on the second half of the back-to-back. Young had a double-double last night with 25 points and 10 assists, and currently leads the league at 11.4 assists per game. Old friend George Niang chipped in 23 points off the bench against Golden State; he has been averaging 13.0 points per game since coming over in the trade from Cleveland.

At least the Sixers have undergone their tank in an ethical fashion. Four guys finished with 20 points or more in the most recent loss to San Antonio, but the fact that the team is shaking hands with new players and immediately slotting them in for rotation minutes has kept the losses flowing. The upcoming stretch is incredibly important for the Sixers’ tanking efforts. They play Atlanta this evening, then the Pelicans, Wizards, a Miami team that has lost 10 straight games, and Toronto. If Philadelphia can emerge from that cotton candy soft group of games with something like a 1-4 record, we can truly hope the lottery combinations will fall in their favor.

Game Details​

When: Sunday, March 23, 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/2025...-dozen-games-remaining-philadelphia-76ers-nba