The Philadelphia 76ers are different this season.
For the first time in a decade, the team is no longer fully dependent on Joel Embiid — one of the league’s best players plagued by the constant injury issues — who has kept the 76ers in a continuous loop of “what-ifs” and “maybes” every time the season ends without a championship.
Emma Clement
After the team’s disastrous 24-58 finish in the 2024-25 season, where Embiid only played 19 games, the start to the 2025 season has given Philly basketball fans a hopeful glimpse into the future of the Sixers franchise — one that features a rising star ready to break out in Tyrese Maxey and potential Rookie of the Year contender VJ Edgecombe.
You would be hard-pressed to find a player who has had a better start to the season than Maxey, who has carried the scoring load for Philadelphia. The sixth-year guard ranks second league-wide in scoring, with a whopping 33.2 points per game while averaging about eight assists and over four three-pointers a game this season.
Edgecombe has been just as good out of the gate. The No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft started his career with a 34-point explosion against the Celtics and hasn’t let up since, averaging about 16 points per game and leading rookies in assists and steals so far this season.
This Sixers team has revolved around the two explosive guards who can score the basketball at will to start the season — and so far, it’s been a major success. The team has been an offensive juggernaut throughout the early stretch of games this season, tied with Oklahoma City for scoring the fourth-most points per game league-wide.
Of course, this high level of play from Maxey and Edgecombe won’t be sustainable for the full season. Both guards play close to 40 minutes a night and together take over a third of the team’s shots — totals that will decrease when Joel Embiid gets back to full strength and equally injury-plagued star forward Paul George returns to the lineup.
But if the Sixers’ quick start has shown anything, it’s that this team has the talent to not just survive — but succeed without its superstar center dominating the scoresheet. Given that Embiid is always one big fall away from spending weeks on the sideline, building a team that can survive without him is necessary if the Sixers want to get through the regular season and make a playoff push in a weak Eastern Conference.
This isn’t the first time the Sixers have surrounded Embiid with coveted players. Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and James Harden have all been brought in to be the superstar sidekick to help Embiid bring the Sixers a championship, but all the previous attempts have failed.
What makes this Sixers team different? This supporting cast is versatile, athletic and, most importantly, they’re young.
Maxey is entering the prime of his career, and Edgecombe just joined the NBA a month ago. Jared McCain, the Sixers’ first-round pick last season, is also making his return after a major knee injury derailed his own rookie season, where he averaged 15.3 points per game in the 23 games he played.
Add in Quentin Grimes and Adem Bona — the lone bright spots from last year’s Sixers — and the team has several players age 25 or less that can contribute to the team in a major way on both sides of the floor. The Sixers have not had a crop of young players this good since Philly’s “Trust the Process” mantra began in Philly more than a decade ago.
Embiid and George will ultimately decide how the 76ers’ season will go. Their availability and performance in the playoffs will be the biggest reason whether this season is a success or failure for Philadelphia. However, both players are on the wrong side of 30, with a laundry list of injuries between them. They remain two of the best players in the league, but it’s hard to imagine either of them staying at the top level for much longer.
Maxey has already proven he’s an elite-level player, and Edgecombe and McCain have already shown flashes of the same talent in their short stints in the NBA. This season, the young players will be asked to play their roles.
The idea of the younger players — led by Maxey — being the face of the next era of 76ers basketball is quickly gaining ground. In fact, it might already be here.
