Sergio Estrada
There was joy in Mudville on Thursday.
The Sixers went to Sacramento for the second of their three-game West Coast road trip, still without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Kelly Oubre, Jr. They suffered a 28-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, their fifth double-digit loss out of six this month. The Play In Tournament seemed to be pulling them in and the slight hope that Embiid would return against the Kings dissipated when he was downgraded from doubtful to out earlier in the day,
So, with all that going against them, somehow the team took the court Thursday and put together an inspiring, fun performance that led to a 139-118 win that improved them to 38-32, and put them just a half game out of the sixth playoff spot.
Yes, the win came against a lowly Sacramento team that had just nine players available and fell to 18-53 on the season, but when you can come off the court with the joy the Sixers had throughout the game, nothing but good can come of it. And there was plenty of good. And perhaps maybe even a glimpse as to where the rest of the regular season may be going.
Unfairly placed in the "do everything" role with so many of the regulars sidelined, rookie VJ Edgecombe did just that Thursday as he scored a career-high 38 points, dealt a career-best 11 assists, grabbed seven rebounds, swiped a couple of steals and turned the ball over just once. His aggressiveness and athleticism was evident during every one of his 38 minutes, as was the tag put on him to go out and be the best player on the team. Edgecombe shot 16-for-28 from the floor, the most he's ever made and shot, and was that unstoppable, dominant force, much the way Maxey is when he is healthy.
Justin Edwards used his versatile offensive game to pour in 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the floor, including 7-for-11 from three-point range. The lefty wingman has shown a well-rounded scoring ability of late, both from deep and in his mid-range game. He truly seems to have an NBA skill set when it comes to scoring and he goes about with a sense of ease, rarely forcing anything to get his shots.
Quentin Grimes' quickness and explosiveness was on full display as he erupted for 27 points, dealt seven assists and grabbed five rebounds. It was the ninth consecutive game that Grimes has scored in double figures, and he is averaging 21.6 points a game over that time. The constant pleas from his coach and teammates to be aggressive at the offensive end has been absorbed by the 6-foot-4 guard.
Should you allow yourself to see a future of a healthy Sixers team heading into the playoffs, those three will carry vitally important roles if the club is to have much success in the postseason.
The role of team leader for Edgecombe of late will only help him when/if the roster becomes complete again. But if it does, his confidence level in how to score in the league has grown significantly with all that has been put on his shoulders. He has become more comfortable handling the ball and appears to see the floor much better than earlier in the season. With a lineup that could include Embiid, Maxey and George before all is said and done, his game may hit even higher heights than where it is right now.
In Edwards and Grimes, Nurse has two players that could really supply some spark off the bench in a playoff rotation that usually includes only eight, maybe nine players. Grimes is a given as the first guard off the bench and is now giving the team exactly what is needed in that role - explosive scoring from both inside and out. He is playing exactly how Nurse envisioned right now as that key piece off the bench.
Edwards seems to have pushed himself into the role of first swingman off the bench as of now. That spot has pretty much been auditioned for all season long among Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker, Trendon Watford and Edwards. While the others have done what is asked of them for the most part, Edwards seems to have the advantage in that he has a specific NBA skill - scoring - while the others show flashes of some things at times.
While the dominant win Thursday can be viewed as just one over a bad team in Sacramento, the bigger picture is where Nurse and his coaches are looking. Thursday provided some satisfying results.
