In this new series, Sixers Wire looks at the 16 players, per Sportrac, that comprise the Philadelphia 76ers roster — 13 under standard contracts and the three players on two-way deals — and gives each three goals for the 2025-26 season. Of course, there is a certain restricted free agent that will be included as well.
The new season begins on Oct. 22, and training camp is right around the corner. Now is the time to begin previewing the new season of adventure that is Sixers basketball.
Up next in this series is guard Eric Gordon who is back in Philadelphia after signing a 1-year deal for the veteran minimum. The 17-year veteran was limited to 39 games in the 2024-25 season due to injury and averaged 6.8 points and 1.7 assists in his limited time.
For Gordon, his three goals are as follows:
Get healthy
This will be tough for somebody who’s 36 years old as his body isn’t the same as it once was, but if Gordon is healthy, he does make a difference on the floor. He can still be a tough defender and a guy who can knock down tough 3s while also being able to handle the ball at times. Coach Nick Nurse would have loved to turn to Gordon more often than not off his bench with everything going on, but it wasn’t in the cards. He has to be able to recover from season-ending wrist surgery to get back and contribute to this team.
Space the floor
Gordon did shoot 40.9% from deep in 2024-25 as he was able to find a rhythm for a time before the wrist surgery. He shot a white hot 52.6% from deep in January which is exactly what the Sixers are expecting out of him–not the 52.6% 3-point shooting, but the elite floor spacing. With Gordon on the floor, defenses have to account for him which makes life easier for the stars to get to their spots on the offensive end and find their rhythm.
Be a mentor
At this stage, Gordon is unlikely to be playing too many minutes as Nurse and the Sixers look in other directions. When he does play, he’ll space the floor and help the offense. On the nights that he doesn’t play, he needs to be a mentor to guys like VJ Edgecombe–who he played with on the Bahamian national team–Jared McCain, Trendon Watford, and others. It’s that time for Gordon as he has a wealth of knowledge to pass down to them to help them in their careers.