September 23, 2025
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Is Sixers head coach Nick Nurse the right person for the job?
Last week, we published our second annual PhillyVoice preseason Sixers survey, attempting to take the temperature of a frustrated fan base before another pivotal year for the organization.
The response was overwhelming, with 736 responses in all – more than double the turnout before last year's nightmarish campaign.
Before the season begins with Media Day on Friday, we will have a pair of stories unpacking the results of the survey with analysis mixed in.
Up first: gauging the mood of fans when it comes to Daryl Morey, Nick Nurse, Quentin Grimes, VJ Edgecombe, Johni Broome and more...
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| Pleased that both are back | 399 | 55.0% |
| Frustrated that both are back | 90 | 12.4% |
| Pleased that Nurse is back, frustrated that Morey is back | 150 | 20.7% |
| Pleased that Morey is back, frustrated that Nurse is back | 86 | 11.9% |
I was stunned to see more than two of every three respondents pleased to have Morey back, particularly because of how frustrated a large contingent of Sixers fans online has grown with the team's lead decision-maker. About three in four respondents supporting Nurse's return is less surprising; nobody was pleased with his performance last year but it would be difficult to argue a better coach would have gotten anything good out of that situation.
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| 1 | 139 | 19.0% |
| 2 | 187 | 25.5% |
| 3 | 252 | 34.4% |
| 4 | 128 | 17.5% |
| 5 | 27 | 3.7% |
I know this is a challenging question to answer and expected this sort of distribution. It would be imprudent to suggest they cannot do it; Nurse has won a championship before and Morey has gotten close as many times as anyone. But they are fighting an uphill battle now; the skew toward a lack of confidence makes sense.
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| Not at all; completely checked out | 155 | 21.1% |
| Rarely; watched a few games | 232 | 31.6% |
| Occasionally; watched some games | 170 | 23.2% |
| Frequently; watched most but not all games | 119 | 16.2% |
| Religiously; watched every game or nearly every game | 58 | 7.9% |
God bless those 58 people.
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| Wanted the team to draft Edgecombe; still glad they did | 518 | 71.2% |
| Wanted the team to draft Edgecombe; now unsure he was the right pick | 30 | 4.1% |
| Did not want the team to draft Edgecombe; now glad they did | 115 | 15.8% |
| Did not want the team to draft Edgecombe; still unsure he was the right pick | 65 | 8.9% |
There seems to be true optimism surrounding Edgecombe; perhaps the fact that he was the reward of such a miserable season that almost netted no first-round pick is part of the reason why. I would be intrigued to know which prospect about one out of four respondents would have chosen over Edgecombe. Perhaps Ace Bailey?
About two out of three respondents graded the Edgecombe pick in the A-range. What about the next player the Sixers drafted?
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| A+ | 10 | 1.4% |
| A | 22 | 3.0% |
| A- | 30 | 4.1% |
| B+ | 91 | 12.6% |
| B | 173 | 23.9% |
| B- | 80 | 11.1% |
| C+ | 86 | 11.9% |
| C | 124 | 17.2% |
| C- | 43 | 5.9% |
| D+ | 20 | 2.8% |
| D | 20 | 2.8% |
| D- | 7 | 1.0% |
| F | 17 | 2.4% |
Given how frequently Sixers fans have clamored for the team to take NBA-ready players with impressive collegiate careers, I was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm surrounding Broome, a player who fits that description perfectly. Broome's Summer League performances were not very good in games that people watched; by the time he got going most people had tuned out what was going on in Las Vegas.
Most people liked the Sixers' first signing of free agency. They were not fond of the team bringing back a pair of veteran guards:
• Trendon Watford: two-year, veteran's minimum contract with a team option in the second season
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| A+ | 45 | 6.2% |
| A | 104 | 14.4% |
| A- | 75 | 10.4% |
| B+ | 141 | 19.6% |
| B | 167 | 23.2% |
| B- | 53 | 7.4% |
| C+ | 38 | 5.3% |
| C | 68 | 9.4% |
| C- | 11 | 1.5% |
| D+ | 5 | 0.7% |
| D | 4 | 0.6% |
| D- | 4 | 0.6% |
| F | 5 | 0.7% |
• Eric Gordon: one-year, veteran's minimum contract
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| A+ | 6 | 0.8% |
| A | 3 | 0.4% |
| A- | 5 | 0.7% |
| B+ | 6 | 0.8% |
| B | 40 | 5.5% |
| B- | 25 | 3.4% |
| C+ | 44 | 6.0% |
| C | 117 | 16.0% |
| C- | 71 | 9.7% |
| D+ | 65 | 8.9% |
| D | 88 | 12.0% |
| D- | 38 | 5.2% |
| F | 224 | 30.6% |
• Kyle Lowry: one-year, veteran's minimum contract
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| A+ | 4 | 0.5% |
| A | 11 | 1.5% |
| A- | 7 | 1.0% |
| B+ | 25 | 3.4% |
| B | 24 | 3.3% |
| B- | 25 | 3.4% |
| C+ | 35 | 4.8% |
| C | 94 | 12.9% |
| C- | 80 | 10.9% |
| D+ | 74 | 10.1% |
| D | 102 | 14.0% |
| D- | 41 | 5.6% |
| F | 209 | 28.6% |
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| He is a potential star | 24 | 3.3% |
| He is a higher-caliber rotation piece than previously anticipated and can start for a contending team | 474 | 64.9% |
| He is a useful role player, but his scoring in a tanking period will not translate to more competitive NBA games | 232 | 31.8% |
Media Day is in three days. Grimes is still unsigned. It is suboptimal. There is no doubt, though, that once the Sixers and Grimes find common ground the 25-year-old guard should slot into a critical rotation role. But there is plenty of skepticism that the dynamic three-level scoring chops he displayed with the Sixers will carry over into a more serious environment.
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| 1 | 135 | 18.4% |
| 2 | 193 | 26.4% |
| 3 | 253 | 34.6% |
| 4 | 131 | 17.9% |
| 5 | 20 | 2.7% |
These responses reflect much less concern than I expected to see, and I still think it is a bit too much. Yes, Grimes still not having a deal this close to the season is very alarming, but everyone should remember that he remains a restricted free agent with no market. Unless he takes the qualifying offer in the next week or so, the Sixers will end up securing a multi-year deal with Grimes at a team-friendly rate.
| Response | Votes | Percentage |
| Desire for Sixers to keep Grimes has grown stronger | 57 | 7.8% |
| No change | 555 | 75.9% |
| Have become less invested in idea of Sixers keeping Grimes | 119 | 16.3% |
I did my best in the weeks leading up to free agency to warn everyone about the potential for this situation to drag on for an excruciatingly long time (not that I expected Grimes' free agency to last this long). It should not alter anyone's perceptions of Grimes as a player that he is doing everything he can to maximize his first trip to free agency, even if the deck is stacked against him.
