December 24, 2025
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
VJ Edgecombe has helped transform the Sixers' short- and long-term futures.
Last time we did a Sixers power ranking roundup, the consensus was clear: the team was right in the middle of the pack of the NBA, one of many teams trying to emerge from a large group of mediocrity and into a smaller tier of teams with real chances of making noise in the playoffs.
A lot has happened in two weeks, and now many experts view the Sixers as the team that poses such a postseason threat. Even after a short-handed loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, the Sixers have won six of their last nine games despite several key absences spanning just about every key player on the roster.
"We're in a good place," Paul George said after Tuesday's game. "We're playing good basketball."
Nothing says "Christmas Eve" more than some power rankings:
Breaking news: the Sixers are still a brutal team in third quarters and find ways to turn things around with their backs against the wall. “Hurry up, get the third [quarter] over," Sixers head coach Nick Nurse joked after Saturday's come-from-behind win over Dallas, "so we can get to the fourth.” John Schuhmann dives in:
"Their win over the Mavs on Saturday came with another terrible third quarter (outscored 35-23) and another terrific fourth (30-17). It was the 10th time the Sixers have lost the third period by double-digits, the seventh time they’ve won the fourth by double-digits and the fourth time they’ve done both in the same game. They remain the league's worst third-quarter team by a huge margin and its best fourth-quarter team by a smaller one." [NBA.com]
You can add another putrid third quarter to the long list of them from these Sixers, as after Schuhmann's rankings were published the team only managed 20 points in the first dozen minutes out of halftime against the Nets. They put themselves in a 12-point hole and failed to muster the fourth-quarter magic they have been carried by all season.
MORE: Sixers signing MarJon Beauchamp to two-way deal, waiving Hunter Sallis
ESPN's writer were asked to highlight an exciting young player on each team. The choice for Tim Bontemps was obvious: VJ Edgecombe:
"It remains remarkable to think that, at this time a year ago, the 76ers thought they had no chance at keeping their top-six protected first-round pick, and now they find themselves with their backcourt of the future in Tyrese Maxey and rookie Edgecombe after managing to do so. Edgecombe has shown the ability to take on an increased playmaking role lately when Maxey has been sidelined with an illness, and is the team's leader in plus-minus, which falls in line with coach Nick Nurse's willingness to trust a rookie guard to take on a big role for a team with playoff ambitions." [ESPN]
VJ Edgecombe's outstanding late-game efforts to help the Sixers notch a win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday, from two clutch jumpers to a put-back dunk to a hustle play that created the dagger three for Tyrese Maxey: pic.twitter.com/ITOSy3PwJ9
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 20, 2025
Edgecombe, one of three key Sixers to miss Tuesday's game due to an illness that continues to make its rounds throughout the roster, has played 24 games as an NBA rookie, with per-game averages of 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals, shooting 43.2 percent from the field on 13.8 field goal attempts per game and 38.3 percent on 5.5 three-point attempts per game.
There is much more to Edgecombe's brilliant rookie campaign than the numbers; has been one of the team's best secondary scorers behind Maxey in addition to one of its strongest primary defenders on the perimeter and is constantly making winning plays down the stretches of close games.
MORE: Edgecombe meets the moment in Madison Square Garden debut
In his tenth edition of weekly power rankings this season, Law Murray revisited his opening-week questions for each team. For the Sixers, "How does Paul George change things?" was the question. It turns out, a whole lot:
"George didn’t make his season debut until Nov. 17. Philadelphia allowed 115.2 points per 100 possessions, ranking 18th in the NBA, before George’s season debut. That number has dropped to 111.7 points per 100 possessions since George suited up. Just getting a 25-minute, 6-foot-8 veteran has been a solid presence for Philadelphia." [The Athletic]
George's defensive impact, not just as an individual performer but for the collective, has been tremendous. Even more amazing: the Sixers were the last team in a tier of Murray's rankings called "In Good a Place." When is the last time those words have been used to describe this team?
MORE: When, how will Dominick Barlow & Jabari Walker sign standard contracts?
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