Justin Edwards Has Best Game of Career for Depleted Sixers

With the Sixers' star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all out due to injuries, Justin Edwards stepped up and exceeded expectations against the NBA's best defensive team in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On Tuesday night, Justin Edwards received his first major opportunity for extended NBA minutes in his career against a Thunder team who have shut down opposing teams on a nightly basis. In 35 minutes of action, the rookie caught fire, scoring 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting, including four made threes. He also contributed six rebounds, four assists and a steal in the 118-102 loss.

After a disappointing season at Kentucky that saw him play a limited role offensively, the Sixers picked up Edwards and signed him to a two-way contract shortly after the NBA Draft. It was clear the one-and-done prospect needed more reps and time to develop, which the Sixers organization has done, assigning him to the Delaware Blue Coats for the first part of the season. In the G-League, Edwards averaged 18.5 points per game on 47.7% from the field and 38.4% from three. He has shown his ability to score from all three levels, which made him the third-ranked prospect by ESPN coming out of high school.

Since the start of the new year, Edwards has seen increasing minutes with the Sixers, but hasn't had a breakout performance until Tuesday. He displayed his ability to shoot the ball from deep knocking down catch-and-shoot triples from the top of the key as well as in transition and off-the-dribble threes. Edwards often made the right read as well as he was able to attack the rim and finish through traffic, get to his pull-up in the midrange or make the right pass to an open teammate. He was largely under control and was able to get to his spots for quality shots.

With Caleb Martin out in addition to injuries to the Sixers' star players, Edwards will likely get another big opportunity in a nationally-televised game against the Knicks on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center. The 21 year-old has proven he is capable of more than what he showed in his lone year at Kentucky and could be another Sixers success story if he can continue his strong play.

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