March 26, 2026, 12:25 p.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — When Joel Embiid went down with a right oblique strain on Feb. 26 and had to miss 13 games in a row, the Philadelphia 76ers could have faltered. Throw in Tyrese Maxey going down with a right finger tendon strain on March 7 while Paul George remain suspended, and the Sixers really could have sunk out of the play-in.

Instead, they rallied together, went 13-12 in the 25 games George missed–with Embiid missing those aforementioned final 13 games of that time–and it was due to the strong play of rookie VJ Edgecombe who continues to show he is wise beyond his years.

Edgecombe averaged 17.8 points and 6.3 rebounds along with 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 22 of those 25 games. If it weren’t for Edgecombe, who knows where the Sixers would be at the moment? He even scored 22 points in Wednesday’s win over the Chicago Bulls despite Embiid and George returning.

“VJ has been great,” said Embiid after the win. “Obviously, everybody being out. He’s the main reason—I mean, I feel like everybody in this locker room has done a great job of keeping things afloat, starting with him. Obviously, good first game. Kind of faded away a little bit after that, and then it feels like he’s in better rhythm. Tonight, doesn’t matter who’s in and out. Keep attacking. Keep being aggressive. Get your shots up. Play defense.”

The Sixers are now just half a game back of the Toronto Raptors for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with nine games left. Philadelphia owns the tiebreaker over the Raptors and is in a good spot to get things rolling in the right direction and go on a run heading into the postseason.

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That is due to the play of guys like Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, Quentin Grimes, Adem Bona, and others for holding down the fort until the main stars return.

“It’s good,” said Embiid. “We did that at the beginning of the year. So, you know, you get your opportunity. You earn it. You go out and play well, and that’s why, you know, some of these guys are getting minutes. So, they took advantage of it, kept us afloat, thankful.”

The Sixers will begin a 3-game road trip on Saturday when they take on the Charlotte Hornets.