Philadelphia 76ers are currently reveling in the fact that the team suddenly looks poised to be a surefire participant in the postseason and then some. After a year filled with misery, the franchise seems ready to mount a major comeback, and the early returns have been largely positive all things considered.
But to intentionally burst your bubble, the 76ers have not exactly been bereft of red flags. After all, they do have three losses on their record for a reason. And perhaps one of the more perplexing developments for them this season is the fact that Justin Edwards is having a hell of a sophomore slump.
Last season, Edwards was very impactful for the 76ers despite coming in as an undrafted rookie. Stepping up for the injured Paul George, he quickly managed to convince the front office into handing him a multi-year deal, laying the groundwork to cement himself as a staple for the franchise.
However, things have taken a complete 180 for him thus far. To say that he has struggled is an understatement because to be frank, he has been borderline unwatchable.
The 76ers should have seen this sophomore slump coming from Justin Edwards
Edwards’ measly numbers can be tossed up to his lack of court time, but to the coaching staff’s credit, there has been very little reason to increase his minutes. Between Kelly Oubre Jr. standing out early in the season to the sophomore being unproductive when his number gets called, the latter has not incentivized the team into handing him a bigger serving of court time.
Yet despite the seemingly abrupt nature of this decline, the 76ers should have probably seen this coming from a mile away.
The 76ers were very hopeful that Edwards can take another step by reclaiming his billing in high school as someone who can create his own shot. The team gave him full liberty to explore that part of his game during the Summer League, but he ended up playing like a role player despite being surrounded by rookies for the most part.
His confidence just wasn’t there. While he was willing to let it fly, Edwards became used to being spoonfed offensively, and those moments of hesitation percolated into the preseason, where he likewise struggled. He couldn’t even throw a rock into the ocean if he wanted to — that was how bad his slump was.
Unfortunately, it seems like that remains to be the case with him, which absolutely sucks given that the 76ers initially had big plans for him this season after an otherwise impressive rookie campaign.
Now, giving up on him at this early juncture is out of the question. However, he needs to cultivate that sense of urgency in him to regain his confidence and start living up to his billing at this point, lest this decline continues without any definite stoppage point.
