The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have a wildly busy offseason in 2025 as they did in 2024, but they did bring in some younger and versatile players. The goal for the front office was to improve the supporting cast in an effort to get them through the grind of an 82-game season and deliver healthy stars to the playoffs.
One of those additions the Sixers made in the offseason is Trendon Watford who can do a lot of different things on the floor. Standing at 6-foot-8, Watford is somebody who can use his versatility in big positive ways such as rebounding and starting the break, making plays on the defensive end, and running offense from the power forward spot. Those are connecting plays and glue guy-type plays that help a team succeed.
The Athletic listed Watford as somebody they are going to watch in the upcoming season and here’s why:
Nobody is talking about this guy, but I think he might end up being an important player. Watford has been difficult to define because he’s not really a floor spacer and not really a “big,” but a lot of his best moments have come as a small-ball center who can make good decisions off short rolls and convert floaters and short shots in the lane.
Setting all that aside, Watford should also have plentiful opportunities at his more natural power forward spot; he’s actually the only player on Philly’s roster whose best position is the four. (Kelly Oubre or Paul George seems the likely starter there.) That position tests him in other ways — Watford is only a 34.9 percent career 3-point shooter on extremely low volume — but the advanced stats say he’s made a decent impact whenever (and wherever) he plays. If Philly is going to make some noise, he’s a guy who will have to help uplift what was a derelict bench a year ago.
Watford averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 44 games for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2024-25 season. As mentioned above, he isn’t much of a 3-point shooter, but he is somebody who can put the ball on the floor, get into the paint, and create for others. If he can do all of that in 2025-26, then the Sixers will be in a good position to succeed. He has to be that connector for Philadelphia on the floor.