Tag: second-highest

Perhaps the only statistic Sixers fans are concerned with right now is 4-1 — the team’s record through a five-game stretch to begin the season. This strong start has incited enormous excitement around a team many expected to cause more misery.

But how did the Sixers win their first four games and nearly complete a 24-point comeback to make it five on Friday night?

This is not a perfect team, but Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has done a stellar job early on juggling a roster with multiple key injuries and not a whole lot of balance. He is finding the right puzzle pieces so far, with some major reinforcements eventually on the way.

In this week’s Sunday Stats, we take a look at a pair of factors behind the Sixers’ strong start to the year — and one disappointing member of Nurse’s rotation.

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### +53: Dominance with a Unique Lineup

The Sixers’ point differential is an impressive +53 in 53 minutes with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Kelly Oubre Jr. all sharing the floor.

Three of the five best players on this team, as currently constructed, are guards — and Jared McCain is on his way. From the jump, it was obvious Nurse would have to make three-guard lineups one of the core looks of his rotation.

However, sliding Kelly Oubre Jr. up to a small-ball power forward role was not something Nurse had planned on doing. Yet, the Sixers have been dominant on both ends of the floor with this high-caliber guard trio playing alongside Oubre and virtually any center.

Their Net Rating (point differential per 100 possessions) with this grouping is a gargantuan +46.9, with elite numbers on offense (138.5 Offensive Rating) and defense (91.6 Defensive Rating).

The sample size remains small, so raw plus/minus is a better indicator than per-100-possession numbers right now. But all the statistics back up what the eye test shows: the Sixers have really found something here.

What makes it such an effective look?

On Friday night, Maxey said the amount of preparation the team did before the season to familiarize itself with that specific three-guard combination has paid dividends. He also highlighted the value of having so much shooting and up-tempo ball-handling on the floor at once.

Just as Grimes is the key to making three-guard lineups work by proving capable of defending wings, Oubre is the key to making these even-smaller units passable by standing his ground against even bigger matchups.

Oubre fears no opponent or assignment, and his two-way contributions early this season have been nothing short of fantastic.

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### 5.0: Adem Bona’s Blocks Per 36 Minutes

Adem Bona is averaging 5.0 blocks per 36 minutes through five games in 2025-26, the second-highest figure in the NBA.

Bona laughed on Thursday when asked about Joel Embiid making a comment after Bona’s five-block closing effort in a comeback win over the Wizards on Tuesday. Embiid told reporters that night Bona was the second-best defensive player in the NBA, only trailing Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.

“He actually said that to me in the locker room, too,” Bona said.

After the Sixers’ fifth game of the season on Friday, the NBA leaders in blocks per 36 minutes looked like this:

After failing to record a block in the Sixers’ first game of the year, Bona collected 11 rejections across the next four contests (66 minutes). The five blocks in Washington grabbed headlines, but Bona is legitimately one of the single best shot-blockers in the NBA.

Asked about Bona’s slow start to the season, Nurse said the second-year center has to be more of a force as a shot-blocker around the rim. He is right; Bona does not have much offensive utility and is not a great rebounder for a center. This is his signature skill.

Hours after Nurse’s comments, Bona swatted three shots against the Orlando Magic and altered a bunch of other attempts around the rim. Nurse was pleased.

Bona is not a perfect player, even on defense. Blocking shots and protecting the rim are not exactly the same thing — rejecting shots is only one of a center’s defensive responsibilities.

But blocking shots at an all-world rate like Bona does makes it easier for him to turn into a high-quality rim protector regardless of effort, focus, and execution.

Very few young centers have Bona’s baseline in terms of defensive production.

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### 38.9%: Justin Edwards’ Shooting Struggles

Justin Edwards is shooting 38.9% from the field across five appearances (58 minutes) in 2025-26.

Sharing the floor with a bunch of high-usage players is both a blessing and a curse in how it simplifies things for role players like the 21-year-old Edwards. Much of the value for someone in a role like his boils down to spot-up shot-making.

Eric Gordon, the Sixers’ reserve veteran guard, is an example of a player who carved out a career by treating such opportunities as a blessing. His on-ball skills have diminished with age, and he is not a defensive stopper. But when Gordon’s role was largely reduced to spot-up shooting, not many NBA players fit their role better.

The downside of this simplicity is when shots are not falling — the role player looks brutal. Exhibit A: the start to Edwards’ second NBA season, in which he has struggled as a shooter.

Edwards has Nurse’s complete faith as a versatile chess piece on defense. The Philadelphia native has embraced crashing the glass at a higher rate, shows strong feel for the game, and makes quick decisions.

But it is hard to separate all of that from stretches like this one.

Edwards recently acknowledged that separating process from results has been one of his stronger growth points since joining the NBA as an undrafted two-way signee last year.

Despite the lackluster results and some uneasiness from fans, Edwards remains extremely confident.

“I’ve just got to control what I can control,” Edwards said after the Sixers’ shootaround on Friday morning. “It’s a long, long season. Just got to keep putting reps in, and when my name is called, I just go out there and do what I can do.”

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The Sixers have found intriguing combinations and promising pieces early in the season. With key players on the way, there is much to look forward to as they seek to build on their 4-1 start.

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*More on the Sixers’ season progress and roster updates: What will Sixers look like with Paul George and Jared McCain healthy?*
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