March 09, 2026
Ken Blaze/Imagn Images
As the primary scoring option of an undermanned Sixers team, it felt like March 2025 for Quentin Grimes on Monday night.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has managed some unusual assortments of players over the last two seasons. The latest odd puzzle he had to put together: battling the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Monday night without his four highest-paid players.
With Joel Embiid (oblique), Tyrese Maxey (finger), VJ Edgecombe (back) and Paul George (suspension) all sidelined, the Sixers never had a chance of winning against a very good Cleveland team, though their effort and connectivity were both better than what many people might have expected.
Nurse had 13 players available in the Sixers' 115-101 loss. He used 12, with 39-year-old Kyle Lowry being the only player to dress and not play. Of those 12 players, four had not appeared in a game for the 2025-26 Sixers as of just one month ago.
Not much from Monday's game is translatable to future contests. In lieu of too much material specific to a game that will not represent much at all, some notes on all 12 Sixers to step onto the floor on Monday, from their work against the Cavaliers to more overarching thoughts about their seasons and/or futures:
This was Payne's first start since rejoining the Sixers, and after a very tough start he appears to be finding his footing. Nurse, who liked describing Payne as a "creator of offense," expressed genuine confidence after Payne's early struggles that the 31-year-old would be fine. Even when Payne does not shoot all that well or his line in the box score is unremarkable, he provides a palpable boost in tempo that this team is better off having.
Nurse recently declined an opportunity to talk about how Grimes' memorable run as a high-volume scorer last season could inform the way he is used while the Sixers were shorthanded, but that is what Grimes' performance on Monday looked like as he led the Sixers offensively. While Grimes clearly is not good enough to consistently headline an NBA offense's attack, he is more than good enough to get hot and take over any given game. His minutes have improved quite a bit over the last few weeks.
A night like this would have been Oubre's chance to shine if not for foul trouble. Oubre thinks highly of his abilities and surely would have liked to take advantage of a game in which he could get more shots up than usual, but maybe it is not the worst thing in the world for the Sixers to keep his mindset from straying too far from where it has been lately. Oubre is having the best three-point shooting season of his career by far. His defensive habits have probably worsened in recent weeks; the Sixers would benefit from him being more "solid," as Nurse calls it, rather than being overzealous going for steals.
Barlow remains a vital part of this team – and has the chance to be one for years to come – but it is unavoidable that his production has dropped off a decent bit over the last several weeks. Barlow's defensive rebounding has been particularly disappointing; for a player with such a great combination of height, length, athleticism and instincts, he has not been very good on the defensive glass all year.
Bona is never going to be a player who constantly avoids foul trouble, in part because such a mentality would restrict his ability to be an elite shot-blocker and that is where so much of his value is derived from. But the Sixers have worked with Bona on being more disciplined with how to use his fouls. As Bona recently put it, there is no problem with committing a foul at the rim to prevent an easy basket. Nurse agrees with that assessment. Where Bona has improved from his rookie campaign is avoiding the unnecessary reach-in fouls that often plagued him before. Bona's development is in a good place right now.
Of the Sixers' role players, nobody's role can fluctuate as much depending on available personnel as that of Watford, who could be anywhere from starter to sixth man and secondary ball-handler – that was his role on Monday – to out of the rotation if the entire team is healthy and Nurse prefers less ball-dominant options at the four. Even though it has been inconsistent and frustrating at times, Watford's debut season with the Sixers should be enough to compel the team to pick up his team option for next season. His close relationship with Maxey only helps his chances.
The Sixers continue to get crushed during Drummond's minutes, and the most enjoyable part of his early-season success seems to have worn off. This week's 5 Sixers thoughts includes an exploration of whether or not the Sixers should give Drummond a red light on his corner three-point shooting, which has not been all that successful over the last two months or so.
Edwards knocked down his first two shots after coming off the bench on Monday, and he has put in a lot of work on remaining ready to play even when his body is cold. Edwards could really use a late-season surge; his 2026-27 salary is guaranteed but his status as a priority prospect in Philadelphia will not be for much longer if he does not break through again, particularly with the team slated to make a first-round pick in June.
Nurse has often commented that there are never nights when it feels like Walker played poorly. That is true, thanks to his unrelenting energy on defense and the glass. But unless he has a rare three-point outburst, the ceiling is not high in terms of impact because he has so few reliable scoring methods. That is not necessarily a bad thing; Walker is a pretty stable piece. He did not play for a long chunk of time in the middle of this game after taking a hit to the face, but eventually returned and did not appear to ever head to the locker room.
Martin has the smallest number of available games of the Sixers' two-way signees, but he is pretty clearly the best player of the bunch with the best chance of actually convincing the Sixers to consider waiving someone to perform another standard contract conversion. It feels very unlikely – and would not happen until near the end of the season so the Sixers can stay under the luxury tax – but is not implausible.
Terry is one of three like-sized Sixers two-way players, and given their lack of depth in the backcourt and in the middle it is interesting that the team opted to go with three players in the same region of the positional spectrum. But the Sixers' general strategy of signing the best players available with NBA experience on two-way deals has done wonders for them, as evidenced by the benefits they have enjoyed from the Barlow and Walker signings.
For all intents and purposes, Beauchamp can be treated like a member of the Sixers' standard roster if the Sixers want to have him around. Beauchamp has more games of availability remaining on his two-way deal than the Sixers have contests left on their regular-season schedule. He would need an actual standard deal to be eligible for any postseason play, though.
Up next: The Sixers will get right back to work on Tuesday, returning home and hosting the Memphis Grizzlies.
