May 29, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Justin Edwards has the makeup of a high-quality role player on the wing. Can he put it all together?
Now that the 2025-26 Sixers season is complete after a thrilling first-round series comeback and a jarring second-round sweep, it is time to reflect on the year that was.
Welcome to Sixers year-in-review, where each player's campaign will be analyzed with a combination of statistics, film and reporting.
Up next: Justin Edwards, whose second NBA season had a few extremely impressive moments and stretches, but ultimately failed to cement him as a full-blown rotation-caliber wing in the NBA.
Between his quick trigger on spot-up three-point tries, frame and focus as a versatile perimeter defender and strong feel for the game, Edwards made himself an intriguing prospect in his rookie season. Might he have taken a step backwards in his sophomore campaign? What comes next?
SIXERS YEAR-IN-REVIEW
Joel Embiid | Tyrese Maxey | Paul George | Andre Drummond | Quentin Grimes | VJ Edgecombe | Dominick Barlow | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Trendon Watford | Justin Edwards
Edwards' primary asset in the NBA will likely be three-point volume.
Edwards shot 8.9 three-point attempts per 100 possessions in his second NBA season – an elite mark in terms of volume – and also posted a 37.2 three-point percentage. Both of those figures were modest improvements from Edwards' surprisingly inspiring rookie year.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse is a massive fan of Edwards. That has been clear since Edwards was an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract. Nurse's confidence has helped Edwards earn two standard contracts and millions of guaranteed dollars.
Beyond all else, Nurse is fond of Edwards because of his basketball instincts. Edwards typically makes the right play, even if unspectacular, and that means something to a coach. He rarely gets himself out of his depth and is usually assertive when the right opportunities present themselves.
Justin Edwards continued his recent surge with the best game of his young NBA career in the Sixers' win over Sacramento on Thursday night. Edwards scored 32 points (11-18 FG, 7-11 3P) and was a +47 in 33 minutes.
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 20, 2026
Every made basket from Edwards' career night: pic.twitter.com/9v0I0qgSKH
The most important way Edwards' feel for the game can help lead him to consistent NBA success: he is comfortable firing away on spot-up triples at a terrific speed (it helps that when Edwards does not take a quick-trigger three, he typically keeps the ball moving instantaneously).
Edwards' teammate, Kelly Oubre Jr., can attest that sometimes in the NBA, teams decide how to defend players beyond the arc based on how willing they are as shooters, not how accurate they are. Like Oubre, Edwards has entered the league with the rare ability to confidently take those shots over and over. But Edwards is far more accurate.
Edwards only has sporadic dribble-drive flashes – there is an elbow pull-up Edwards is extremely comfortable with – and he will likely never be an on-ball player in the NBA. His pathway to offensive success is by pairing his excellent three-point volume with strong accuracy.
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Edwards' defensive rebounding percentage: 7.7
This is about half of the NBA average in 2025-26 of 14.8, and while Edwards was not a particularly strong rebounder as a rookie, it felt like the most obvious way for him to improve. He has gotten adjusted to NBA speed and physicality, and head coach Nick Nurse had highlighted the defensive glass as an important point of emphasis and Edwards himself seemed eager to check that box.
As an offensive rebounder, Edwards occasionally makes impressive plays to revive Sixers possessions. But for a wing who is pretty sturdy and plays a decent chunk of his minutes at power forward, his defensive rebounding has been disappointing.
It is absolutely true that the two most important things for Edwards moving forward are perimeter defense and three-point shooting, but it is imperative that Edwards becomes a more layered player than that. True 3&D players are less common these days, and as the importance of the possession battle is stressed throughout the league, Edwards finding a way to be impactful on that front would make a difference.
Given his size, feel, decent success as an offensive rebounder and clear desire to contribute more as a defensive rebounder, it is not all that difficult to imagine Edwards making strides here. He is a streaky shooter; having another way to impact winning is a must if he wants to keep his minutes when the inevitable three-point slumps arrive.
Nurse on his belief in Edwards, Nov. 11:
"I don't worry about him. He works extremely hard. He really worked on his shooting. He goes out there and tries as hard as he can on defense every time. He's not perfect, but he's a really good, developing young player that I love. He has a bad game, it doesn't even faze me, because I love him."
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How impactful of a defensive player can Edwards become?
Edwards has what Nurse describes as "a want to defend." He is routinely utilized against elite players, something he became used to during his rookie season. It is not that Edwards does not hold his own as a defender, but his value on that end of the floor comes more from the number of players he is theoretically capable of defending than the quality of the job he will do on any one player in particular.
The one way Edwards can prove wrong the initial takeaway about three-point volume being his strongest asset moving forward: transforming into a true stopper, someone Nurse can not just give the assignment of the other team's best player but do so knowing that player will be neutralized to some degree.
Edwards has the frame, strength and feel to reach a higher level defensively, but his athleticism will likely never be better than decent. That, plus a wingspan which is not jaw-dropping, could limit his upward mobility as a defender. But if there is one person who believes in Edwards, it is his head coach. That matters.
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