Three Non-Stars on the Philadelphia 76ers Who Could Make Things Tough For Boston

The Celtics are heavy favorites in the first round, and for good reason, but that doesn't mean the Sixers can't get a few licks in along the way, and there are a few guys on that roster who have a decent chance to do so

Oct 22, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) passes around Boston Celtics forward Xavier Tillman (26) during the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

1. Dominick Barlow
2. Justin Edwards
3. Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Boston Celtics are pretty strong favorites to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in their opening round series, and for good reason. The Sixers won’t have Joel Embiid after his appendectomy, and the rest of the team is inconsistent and flawed. The Celtics, meanwhile, are probably the smartest team in the NBA, able to adjust quickly should the Sixers throw any wrinkles their way. 

As we spend the next few days looking at the Sixers matchup, we’ll start to dive into different angles of the matchup to see if things will be tougher than expected. Even if the Celtics win this series with relative ease, a series full of tough games can sap them for their next opponent. We saw that happen last year with Orlando, which was a quick, but very physical and difficult set of games. 

Today we’re focusing on specific players, but not the most obvious ones. We know Tyrese Maxey is capable of hurting the Celtics. He hurts every team with his quickness and combustibility. VJ Edgecombe is another very capable player, even as a rookie, who can hurt Boston and be a general annoyance in this series. 

But while they're doing their thing, there are others who could step up and be “that guy” … as in, “THAT GUY is killing Boston right now?” 

Here’s a look at three Sixers who could be candidates. 

Dominick Barlow

Mar 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) controls the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

He was not great against the Orlando Magic and he certainly has had some ups and downs recently. But it wasn’t that long ago that Barlow was seen as one of the league’s best salvation stories. 

Not only that, he’s been a thorn in Boston’s side in the limited time they’ve seen him. Two of his best games of the season have come against the Celtics, crashing the boards and giving the Sixers second chances. He had five offensive rebounds in one game, and two more in another. He had three steals in one of those matchups as well. 

The Celtics defensive rebounding has gone from a weakness to a strength, but Barlow is athletic enough that he can sneak through if the Celtics don’t account for him. 

Barlow consistently shows up in some of the Sixers’ top offensive lineups, so there's something there. I’m not sure how much he’ll play at first because of his recent struggles, but I’m not going to rule Barlow out as an adjustment Nick Nurse throws out as he dips into his bag of things that have worked against Boston before. 

Justin Edwards

Mar 19, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) looks to shoot the ball during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

He did not play against the Magic, but he’s another guy who has had some success against the Celtics and could be a prime candidate to get free for some open three-pointers. 

Up until he dropped a career-high 32 points a month ago against the Kings, his high for the season was his 22 against Boston where he hit five of six three-pointers. One thing we know about the Celtics is while they are really good at protecting the rim and running teams out of the corners, they do allow a lot of above-the-break three-pointers. Let’s take a look at where Edwards likes to shoot his three-pointers. 

NBA

Just like Barlow, Edwards is a card Nick Nurse might not play right away, but he knows he’s there just in case. Knowing Boston’s history of random players going berserk from three against them in the playoffs, it feels like Edwards can climb into that team picture in this series. 

Kelly Oubre Jr.

Apr 15, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) reacts after a Orlando Magic turnover during the third quarter of a play-in round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

I can only stay outside the box for so long here. Oubre is going to be critical for the Sixers, just like he was in their win over Orlando where he was 5-10 from three. The Celtics might choose to live with it, since he’s a 36% three-point shooter. The Sixers are 16-10 this season, counting the play-in win, when Oubre takes five or more three-pointers, so his shooting them has been moderately successful for them. 

For what it’s worth, he’s shooting 5-20 from three against the Celtics this season, just 25%. 

It’s going to take something unusual for the Sixers to give Boston many problems in this series, but Nick Nurse is an unusual guy and he has some options on his bench that could prove to be a thorn in Boston’s side. Will it be enough to win a series? Probably not. But could it be enough to drain the Celtics for their next series? That's worth watching.