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VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates a three-pointer with Tyrese Maxey #0
Ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, the future looked bleak for the Philadelphia 76ers, with superstar Joel Embiid potentially on the downside of his career and Eastern Conference teams ascending while the storied franchise in Philadelphia seemed headed in the wrong direction.
Fortunately, things turned out to be not as bad as they seemed in Philadelphia, with Tyrese Maxey looking like a budding superstar, Embiid showing he’s got more left in the tank as one of the elite frontcourt players in the NBA and rookie VJ Edgecombe looking like the real deal in his first season with the 76ers.
Tyrese Maxey on VJ Edgecombe
GettyVJ Edgecombe #77 and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers
Ahead of the NBA All-Star break, Maxey was asked how big the time off for Edgecombe will be, considering how much he’s played up to this point during his first season with the 76ers.
“Probably huge, man,” Maxey said of Edgecombe. “He’s never played these type of minutes in his life. Like, even playing a 40-minute basketball game in college is way different than this. We’ve played 54 games. I think he’s played at least 50 of them. I don’t know how many he’s actually played, but at least played 50 of them.”
As Maxey pointed out, Edgecombe has never played this much basketball consecutively, let alone on the NBA level, which must be a lot to handle, considering how much the team leans on him alongside the All-Star point guard in the backcourt.
“That’s a whole season and we’re asking him to do a lot,” Maxey said of the rookie. “So, he’s probably definitely tired. But it’s OK. Like I said, this is what the break is for and I’m not too worried about this one. It happens and we’re gonna move from it.”
Although other rookies around the league, like Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks, have stolen all the headlines this season, Edgecombe has proven he has a bright future ahead in Philadelphia, as a key piece to the puzzle for the 76ers, along with Maxey.
The Baylor product is currently averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Khris Middleton an Option for 76ers?
GettyKhris Middleton #22 of the Washington Wizards
As part of the massive blockbuster trade sending Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards, veteran sharpshooter Khris Middleton was part of the deal heading back to the Mavericks, where his future hangs in the balance after he became a buyout candidate.
Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News recently asked Middleton about his immediate future with the Mavericks and whether there have been any conversations of a buyout situation in Dallas.
Asked Khris Middleton about his fit with the #Mavs and if he’s had any conversations with the front office about his immediate future.
“Nah. Not yet. We haven’t got to that point. Don’t know that we will, but my focus right now is just playing basketball.”
“Nah. Not yet,” Middleton said. “We haven’t got to that point. Don’t know that we will, but my focus right now is just playing basketball.”
If Middleton is ultimately bought out by the Mavericks, the 76ers would be an intriguing destination. Still, it remains to be seen whether the veteran shooter is bought out and whether there’s significant interest from Philadelphia.
Ryan Ward is a longtime credentialed writer covering the NBA and NFL. He has over 15 years of experience in the sports industry from writing, editing, social media management and podcasting. He has covered the Lakers and Raiders for Medium Large Sports, with a previous stint at ClutchPoints. Ward is a Los Angeles native from the United Kingdom, who now resides in Colorado.
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