Grading Every Sixers Player at the NBA Cup Break

The Sixers have been on hiatus this week due to the NBA Cup, but they're back in action Friday against the Indiana Pacers. That break gave us a good excuse to hand out letter grades to each Sixers player for how they've fared thus far this season.

Before we dive in, it's worth noting every player isn't graded on the same curve. Players on max contracts have higher expectations than players on minimum or two-way deals, and their grades reflect that if their performances aren't living up to those standards. Conversely, anyone on a minimum contract or a two-way deal who's providing positive value qualifies as a steal and will be graded accordingly.

With that in mind, here are our grades for every Sixers player through the first 23 games of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Tyrese Maxey

Bryan: A+

After last season, it was fair to wonder whether Maxey would top out at an All-Star or if he had another All-NBA-caliber leap in him. He's answered that question resoundingly this year by having one of the best seasons in Sixers history. Maxey is averaging a career-high 31.5 points per game on a league-leading 39.9 minutes per game and has made major strides both as a playmaker and a defender. The Sixers could not realistically expect anything more out of him.

Austin: A+

Thanks to a leap as a shooter between the rim and the three-point line, Maxey is playing the game on his terms almost every night. I think it’s pretty firm that he’s the best guard in the Eastern Conference, and maybe even the third-best guard in the entire NBA. His tireless production on offense and commitment on defense at his usage and nightly minutes are outrageous, and the Sixers are almost nine points better with him on the court than they are with him off it, per PBP Stats.

VJ Edgecombe

Bryan: A-

Although Edgecombe cooled off from his historic start, his knack for making winning plays has bailed the Sixers out time and again. He did miss three games with a calf injury and has played sparingly since his return, although he saved them from a complete meltdown against the Warriors in early December. Long-range shooting remains Edgecombe's swing skill, but his defensive aptitude is exactly as advertised.

Austin: B+

His catch-and-shoot three is ahead of schedule and his defense has been as advertised. The athleticism has given this group new life on both ends of the floor. I would like to see Edgecombe clean up some of his misses at the rim and tighten his ball-handling, but he’s been a very helpful rookie, which is hard to do.

Kelly Oubre Jr.

Bryan: A-

With Paul George sidelined for the first 12 games of the season, Oubre spent a lot of time moonlighting as the Sixers' power forward in three-guard lineups. He held his own despite giving up size, and he's shooting a career-best 49.7 percent from the field this year. Oubre has been sidelined since mid-November by a sprained LCL, although he figures to return relatively soon. His absence has been noticeable.

Austin: A

Aside from a regression back to earth on his three ball, Oubre is probably playing the best basketball of his career. The Sixers find themselves longing for his defense on a nightly basis as Oubre misses time with his knee injury. He stabilized the wings while Paul George was recovering from his offseason knee surgery.

Paul George

Bryan: B-

Relative to his $51.7 million salary, George has been a massive disappointment. He missed the first 12 games of the season to recover from offseason knee surgery and is averaging only 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists, albeit in a mere 24.4 minutes per game. Still, just seeing George healthy and stringing together an occasional throwback game–such as his 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist night against the Milwaukee Bucks in early December–qualifies as progress after his first season in Philly was a total bust.

Austin: C+

We’ve seen reminders that George has the offensive power in him to take over games. But those moments have come against the middling Bucks. Maxey and the Sixers need him to be more assertive on offense, but his return has coincided with Philadelphia’s defense inching up to the cusp of the top 10.

Joel Embiid

Bryan: D

Embiid has played in only nine games this season. His 226 total minutes rank 12th on the team, behind Jabari Walker, Trendon Watford, Adem Bona and Jared McCain. He's shooting a career-low 40.7 percent overall and 21.4 percent from three-point range and has been about four steps slow on defense for most of the season. Embiid still commands a ton of defensive attention, which is the only thing sparing him from an F here, but the Sixers need more consistency out of him moving forward.

Austin: C

It would be a total cop-out to give him an "incomplete," even though that’s maybe the most justifiable grade. When he has played, Embiid has been every bit an explorer of his own body. He has moments when he challenges his own perceived limitations. But he’s not consistently willing to take risks on defense, and he has yet to find a rhythm on offense. I will say that he does not show signs of delusion. He’s clearly happy to defer to Maxey on most possessions and is leveraging the attention defenses give him to make passes all over the floor. He’s learning and adapting his game, but the ceiling on that status is anyone’s guess.

Quentin Grimes

Bryan: B+

Despite facing far more competition for touches than he had at the end of last season, Grimes hasn't skipped a beat. In fact, he's averaging a career-high 16.5 points and 4.4 assists in 32.9 minutes per game. With George and Embiid's availability up in the air, Grimes has been a fulcrum of the Sixers' rotation, particularly in three-guard lineups. His shot selection can be questionable at times, but his decision to bet on himself in contract talks this offseason otherwise appears poised to pay off next summer.

Austin: B-

There’s being a streaky shooter, and then there’s being a clank risk on wide-open jumpers. The latter is what Grimes has been too often after a torrid start to the season. His aggression is good, but his shooting needs to be better. His decision-making and control off the dribble are not refined enough, either. I’d like to see him commit to an attack as a scorer instead of trying to toggle between scoring and passing.

Jared McCain

Bryan: D

McCain has yet to regain his footing since his return from the knee injury that prematurely ended his rookie season and the thumb injury that delayed the start of his sophomore campaign. He's shooting only 38.1 percent overall, although he has shown occasional flashes of the upside that established him as the early Rookie of the Year front-runner last season. The Sixers need to see whether that hot stretch last year was an outlier or if McCain just needs more time to round back into form, but the early returns raise some concerns.

Austin: D+

McCain’s three-point shooting has mostly returned to the weapon it was his rookie season. He’s finishing at the rim at a higher clip. His playmaking off the dribble and handsiness on defense have had moments. But he’s clearly behind Edgecombe and Grimes in the rotation. McCain needs to recover the burst he had as a rookie, and getting those legs all the way back will help him hold up on both ends of the floor. This is another one where "incomplete" feels most appropriate.

Andre Drummond

Bryan: B+

Heading into this season, Drummond had hit 18 three-pointers across his 13-year career. Through 22 games this year, he already has 11 treys. (That's six more than Ben Simmons' career total... not that we're keeping track or anything.) Drummond also remains one of the best per-minute rebounders in the league. He's filled in admirably as the Sixers' starting center in Embiid's absence and has been worth every penny of his $5 million salary, although it's still fair to wonder how he'll hold up defensively in playoff settings.

Austin: B+

Very strong bounce-back for Drummond after his toe put him through the ringer last season. His rebounding has been good. It seems kind of obvious that there’s a trade-off in which Drummond commits himself more to defense if the coaches look the other way when he takes threes. Still, time and place, time and place. I’ve been beating that drum all season long.

Trendon Watford

Bryan: B+

Watford's 20-point, 17-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against the Toronto Raptors in early November reminded Embiid of Ben Simmons, which is high praise for someone who signed a minimum contract this past offseason. Injuries have prevented him from carving out a consistent role, although his versatility has clearly endeared him to head coach Nick Nurse. Hopefully he can get back into the Quiet Tournament for minutes at the 4 once he's healthy again.

Austin: B

Watford has been a Swiss army knife when he’s been available, but he hasn’t been available all that often. The two-man chemistry with Maxey provides the lead guard a level of comfort that he otherwise only achieves when Embiid is on the court. Excellent value find for Daryl Morey and company. Not only is he on a minimum, but there’s a team option in the second year of his deal.

Dominick Barlow

Bryan: A-

Getting Barlow on a two-way contract was highway robbery for the Sixers this offseason. He's already started 11 games this season after starting only five times across his first three years in the NBA, and he's setting career highs across the board statistically. Barlow's three-point shooting leaves much to be desired, but that's the only major knock against him given the value he's otherwise providing.

Austin: A-

Barlow probably needs to rebuild his shot from the ground up. His athleticism has functional value on both ends of the floor. His hustle is a commodity on this team. A great, great get on a two-way deal, and it shouldn’t be all that long before he’s signing a standard contract with the Sixers.

Jabari Walker

Bryan: B+

If Barlow and Walker are competing for the Sixers' lone remaining open roster spot, Barlow likely has the inside track, but Walker has been a find in his own right. He has a clear nose for rebounding, which has long been a weakness for the Sixers, although the Sixers have been abysmal defensively with him on the floor. Still, it's hard to complain with the value he's providing on a two-way deal.

Austin: B

It took him a while to find the shooting touch, and he’s been much more comfortable ever since. He’s had good moments as a playmaker and excellent moments as a rebounder — both on the offensive and defensive glasses. Another valuable addition on a two-way.

Justin Edwards

Bryan: D

As it turns out, the concerns that popped up about Edwards in summer league were a harbinger of things to come. He's shooting only 40.7 percent from the floor and has yet to find his offensive groove. While his three-year, $7.1 million contract originally looked like a steal when he signed it, the $2.4 million he's owed next year could be a concern if he can't pull out of this early-season malaise.

Austin: D+

Save for his Andrew Toney impression against the Boston Celtics back in November, it’s been a wildly inconsistent second season in the NBA for Edwards. His shot is up and down. He can’t stay in front of the ball on defense. Nurse speaks extremely highly of Edwards, yet has justifiably put him on the fringes of the rotation.

Adem Bona

Bryan: C

As it turns out, Bona is not ready to be Embiid's primary backup. That shouldn't be surprising for a second-round pick in his second year, but it would have been nice if he took a major step forward, especially with Drummond set to hit free agency this summer. He makes a ton of typical mistakes for a young big man, so no one should throw in the towel on him quite yet.

Austin: C-

Bona has improved slightly at defending without fouling. But his hands leave much to be desired on both ends, and he chases blocks at the expense of rebounding position all the time. An 11.1 percent defensive rebounding rate on missed field goals is simply not good enough.

Eric Gordon

Bryan: DNP-Old

Gordon's main value at this stage of his career is being a locker room/vibes guy and a mentor to Edgecombe. But in terms of on-court value, he's mostly a waste of a roster spot. If the Sixers want to convert both Barlow and Walker from two-way deals, it wouldn't be a shock if Gordon was the one whom they look to dump elsewhere.

Austin: C-

I don’t know if he’s just a stoic guy or what, but Gordon’s body language suggests that sitting on the Sixers’ bench is almost as bad as being asked to lug a 200-pound trash can out to the curb in the depths of a Philadelphia winter. I’ll give him a C- because I think he’s been a good resource for Edgecombe in his rookie season.

Kyle Lowry

Bryan: DNP-Old

Much like Gordon, Lowry isn't here for his on-court value. It's fair to wonder whether the Sixers need two guys like that, especially as injuries mount and they leave a roster spot open, but that isn't Lowry's fault. Maxey said Lowry has been an invaluable resource for him, so that's good enough for me.

Austin: B

The unc of the team has played sparingly. But when he has taken the floor for real minutes, the ball has moved well. He’s clearly happy to be there and takes pride in imparting wisdom on the young guys. If Maxey hits yet another level, Edgecombe becomes a star or McCain makes a leap in the near future, those will be dividends for investing in Lowry as an end-of-bench veteran.

Johni Broome

Bryan: N/A

Broome was a standout in college, but his early NBA tenure has not answered the questions about why the Sixers spent an early second-round pick on him.

Austin: N/A

He’s played incredibly little, but, man, has it not gone well.

Hunter Sallis

Bryan: N/A

Sallis was the Sixers' only two-way signing without significant NBA experience, and it shows.

Austin: N/A

Sallis hasn’t really played outside of garbage time, but this was quite the highlight:

OH MY GOODNESS! HUNTER SALLIS JUST BROUGHT THE ROOF DOWN IN DELAWARE! 🤯✈️@blue_coats | @sixers pic.twitter.com/AiKX2WeRTS
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) December 7, 2025