PHILADELPHIA — Because the NBA season is still in its infancy, it’s impossible to tell whether the Philadelphia 76ers are going to actually be good this season. And that rings true despite the Sixers defeating the Charlotte Hornets 125-121 on Saturday night to become one of a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference to start the year with two consecutive wins.
That being said, the Sixers preached about setting a standard during training camp and the preseason. They talked about establishing a culture. Team executive Daryl Morey talked about fielding a team that would make a city proud. And for at least one night, 19,124 at Xfinity Mobile Arena turned the building into a madhouse, largely because the Sixers have done just that.
On Saturday night, as the entire roster celebrated with Quentin Grimes when he hit what proved to be the winning shot, a few things became clear. The Philadelphia 76ers have the makings of a resilient bunch. Both of their wins were fourth-quarter comebacks in which they erased double-digit deficits. They are a more spirited team than they arguably were at any point last year. When Grimes rose up over Tre Mann and completed the rally with his dagger three, Joel Embiid sprinted off the bench with a huge smile on his face, and the entire bench joined him. A team with good vibes can go a long way. This is a team that currently has good vibes.
“I would have been proud of the team even if we hadn’t won the game, because we stuck with it,” Embiid said. “There were a lot of points where we could have laid down, and we didn’t.”
If two games are to be judged, this is a 76ers team that’s playing with a massive chip. They are playing like a team that was embarrassed by a 24-58 record last season. They are playing like a team that has something to prove. And sure, it’s only been two games, but the ability to play hard and the resilience are what should at least intrigue 76ers fans, because those are the things that are sustainable and within their control. You can’t control injuries and player availability — Philadelphia, of all teams, knows that much. However, you can control effort, which is a big reason the Sixers have opened the season with two wins.
Sure, there have been big shots from Grimes on Saturday night and Kelly Oubre in Wednesday night’s 117-116 opening win over the Boston Celtics. Sure, star guard Tyrese Maxey has been phenomenal so far, and rookie guard VJ Edgecombe has been nothing short of a revelation. With due respect, however, the Sixers have been winning because of the little things. They have been winning because, so far this season, they have been willing to get into the mud and fight with their opponents. Their ability to get grimy has won them games, even with some of the eye-opening individual stuff they have been doing.
absolute cinema. pic.twitter.com/KW16czhtrN
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 26, 2025
“This offseason has been hard for us,” Philadelphia center Andre Drummond said. “We were scrimmaging without calling fouls. No calls. Guys were just out there, hooping. We’ve been sick of playing against each other. It’s been good to go out there and take some aggression out on other teams.”
As a team, the Sixers have a lot to figure out. Embiid is on a tight 20-minute playing time restriction to not put stress on his surgically repaired left knee. And on Saturday night, he was terrific, scoring 20 points in those 20 minutes. However, figuring out the right allocation of minutes has been a major work in progress.
For example, against Charlotte, Embiid’s night finished early in the second half because he played most of his minutes in the first half. And with the restriction likely to continue in some variation, the Sixers will have to figure out his availability and how to best use it.
“He had a rhythm going, so we kept him out there a little longer in the first half,” Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse said. “One thing we want to try and avoid is to have him sitting for long stretches.”
And, as a team, the Sixers have to get healthy. That they were missing Paul George, Trendon Watford and Jared McCain was a lot more noticeable on Saturday night. There were several stretches where Maxey or Grimes had to force offense, simply because there was a lack of options on the floor. And there were several chunks of minutes, particularly without Embiid on the floor, in which the Sixers were caught in lineups that didn’t have enough offense.
A couple of things saved Philadelphia on Saturday night. Justin Edwards came off the bench and hit three huge 3-pointers. He only played 12 minutes, but the 76ers needed every shot that he managed to make. Secondly, Drummond played arguably his best game in a Philadelphia uniform. With Charlotte rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner dominating on the interior, Drummond came off the bench and grabbed 13 rebounds in 15 minutes. He scored seven big points, and he sealed off the interior at a point at which the Sixers were struggling to grab rebounds on both ends of the floor.
Drummond had been out of Nurse’s immediate rotation through much of the preseason and the season opener, but on Saturday night, he became perhaps Philadelphia’s biggest reason for victory. In a game in which the Sixers needed some juice, he came into the fray and provided it.
“I’m thrilled that he was able to play so well,” Nurse said. “And now, I’m kind of wondering why I didn’t use him earlier. I knew that I would eventually have to use him again, because Joel was down to just a few minutes in the second half. I was trying to find some spark, and he gave it. All of a sudden, the rebounding got a lot easier. We got some extra possessions. He made some good contributions.”
An 82-game season is a long stretch, and that means we need a lot more data before we can figure out what this Philadelphia team is going to be, one way or the other. However, the intangibles may be back. The intrigue and excitement, at least for now, may be back. Coming off a nightmare of a season, the small wins matter.
And through two games, the Philadelphia 76ers are at the very least doing the little things to give their fan base a dose of hope.
