Now that their two four-day layoffs are over, the Sixers are about to have a much more traditional schedule, with only All-Star in February breaking up a sprint lasting nearly four months before the regular season ends.

Before the Sixers return to action on Friday night against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the time is right to take stock of the players currently available and in head coach Nick Nurse's rotation. For each of the 11 players, either firmly in the rotation or on the fringes of it, here is one clip or compilation from game action.

Buckle up for this week's Friday film:

Joel Embiid

Embiid is not his best self; even when he has encouraging performances, they are far cries from what he was doing just two seasons ago. But what is clear is that, just about no matter what, defenses will treat Embiid like an otherworldly threat when he has the ball:

If Embiid continues to lag behind his career norms in terms of devastating one-on-one coverages, it will be interesting to see how many coaches dare him to score at will. At times this season, Embiid has looked far more comfortable drawing two defenders, making the ensuing read and watching a teammate receive an open look.

Tyrese Maxey

In case you missed Monday's edition of 5 Sixers thoughts, Maxey is developing somewhat of a signature skill on the defensive end. He is mastering the art of the pick six:

"It's been great, and I think those are needed plays," Nurse said last week. "It not only stops them from scoring, it gives us a quick two and keeps the scoreboard moving. I call them spiritual plays. They're like, big, momentum plays, a pick six for a layup and all of a sudden your defense turns around and everybody's amped up for the next possession, too."

MORE: Maxey's new signature skill, and welcome to NBA trade season

Paul George

George may never live up to the expectations that come with a contract and resume like his, but he has been a two-way stabilizing force for the Sixers since making his season debut just over a month ago. George has given the Sixers whatever they have needed on any given night offensively, whether it be one-on-one scoring, end-of-shot clock work or spot-up shooting. Last Friday against Indiana he had another late-game takeover, which came after this ridiculous and-one jumper:

George's impact as a defensive player might be even more pronounced than what he has given the Sixers offensively; their entire defensive production has taken a sharp turn in the right direction since George first suited up in mid-November. 

VJ Edgecombe

Edgecombe was never pressing on the court, but he had admitted that a long string of low-scoring performances was eating at him a bit. His two eruptions prior to the Sixers' second four-day break – he scored 22 points against Indiana and followed it up with a 26-point outing against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday – were positive signs. Perhaps the single most impressive basket was this one:

Edgecombe continues to work on tightening his handle – it has been an issue at various points over the last month or so – and the more security he provides off the dribble, the more he will be able to utilize his remarkable athleticism going downhill. 

Quentin Grimes

Much of the Sixers' success this season can be attributed to their stellar production from three-guard lineups, and while Maxey is far and away the best member of the team's backcourt rotation and the engine of those units, they would not be viable defensively if Grimes were not turning in a strong defensive season. The 25-year-old has been outstanding on that end of the floor this year, and he has done it while handling a lot of difficult matchups in high-leverage situations:

Last month, Grimes expressed confidence in his ability to slide up on the positional scale as a defender.

"Definitely gives you more confidence when the coaching staff trusts you to go out there and have those tougher matchups and take that on defensively," Grimes said. "...I like going out there, taking on the defensive challenges, going out there trying to stop other teams' best players, so it's just another challenge for me to go out there and do that and help this team win."

Dominick Barlow

Barlow and Jabari Walker continue to give the Sixers outstanding returns on their two-way contract investments, and while Barlow has secured the team's starting power forward spot thanks in large part to his athletic abilities and combination of size and length, his tremendous instincts are what have separated him from many great athletes of Sixers past. One example of many: this impromptu screen Barlow sets to free up George for a corner three:

Barlow's intuitive nature shows up in many fashions, from crisp and timely defensive rotations to opportunistic drives to the basket. His blend of athletic traits and feel for the game is rare; players who excel on both of those fronts rarely fail.

Jared McCain

December has been a brutal month for McCain, whose minutes have dwindled despite Maxey missing two games. He has just not been good on either end of the floor; with this multi-week slump coming right after he appeared to officially announce he was back with a breakout performance in Brooklyn:

That showing against the Nets, which came after a string of encouraging performances, was most notable for his three-point volume. But McCain has not been able to find his range since. Something that might help: McCain said on Friday morning that he is no longer playing with a brace on his right hand after tearing the UCL in his right thumb at the end of September.

"Got no brace on it, nothing on it, so thank God for that," McCain said. "I guess that's pretty much the last thing now, just being able to get back in rhythm without a brace and without the tape around it."

Jabari Walker

While it was Barlow whose early-season emergence was powered by offensive rebounding, it has been Walker whose prowess on the glass has stood out more consistently of late. It feels as if Walker makes at least a few hustle plays that generate an extra shot attempt for the Sixers every time he plays:

Walker has been active for every Sixers game to date and played in all but one of them. No two-way player in the NBA has made more appearances than Walker in 2025-26.

Andre Drummond

Drummond's resurgence after a nightmarish season last year has been powered by improved mobility, a return to historically great rebounding and a small dose of corner three-point shooting. But every once in a while, Drummond shows off his passing chops:

When he was head coach of the Sixers, Doc Rivers would often joke about the volatile nature of Drummond's passing – some of his looks would be legitimately impressive, other times the ball would end up in the fifth row. Perhaps it is better if he does not focus on playmaking at all, but Drummond does have some good passes in there.

Justin Edwards

Edwards' sophomore NBA campaign has been brutal aside from his career night to win the Sixers a game against the Boston Celtics. His defense has been hit-or-miss and he has lacked confidence on the offensive end of the floor. He has, however, been able to create some turnovers as a defender:

What Edwards badly needs is to see some shots go in, get his confidence back and move forward from there. That is why Edwards spent his 22nd birthday on Tuesday playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League. Edwards scored 37 points and nabbed six steals on 13-for-21 shooting from the field. There have been worse birthdays.

Adem Bona

Bona also played for the Blue Coats on Tuesday; Drummond's resurgence and Embiid's return from injury have limited the second-year center's minutes. But he remains an important piece of this puzzle; Embiid is always a safe bet to miss games and the Sixers need their third-string center to be ready to step into the action at a moment's notice. Bona's year has been disappointing so far, but he has had his moments, most recently a strong showing in a win in Milwaukee:

With his movement skills on the perimeter, Bona offers the Sixers some schematic versatility on the defensive end that none of their other centers can. He is already an elite shot-blocker, and protecting the rim should be his focus, but Bona can switch against guards much more comfortably than Embiid or Drummond.