Sixers

Sixers Stock Report: How Things Stand Through 16 Games

By Sean Barnard

Published: Nov 25th, 2025 · 9:57 AM EST

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The Philadelphia 76ers entered the season with a refreshing lack of expectation this season. One year removed from missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017, everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and it was a quiet reset.

Through 16 games, the Sixers are now 9-7, which is good enough for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Offensively, they rank 13th in the NBA in scoring at 118.3 points per game. They rank 18th in assists, 16th in rebounds, 17th in FG%, 15th in three-point volume, and eighth in three-point percentage.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Sixers are allowing 116.8 points per game, which ranks 18th in the NBA. They rank 18th in assists allowed, 15th in opponents’ rebounds conceded, 15th in opponents’ field goal percentage, eighth in opponents’ three-point percentage, and 17th in three-point attempts per game allowed. Philadelphia is posting the 14th-best offensive rating, the 18th-best defensive rating, and rank 20th in pace.

The raw statistics look stunningly mediocre, which can be a positive or a negative depending on which lens you choose to view them through.

The Positives

The conversation has to start with Tyrese Maxey. Now in his sixth NBA season, Maxey leads the NBA at 40.4 minutes per game. He’s averaging 33 points, 7.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while shooting 41.5% from beyond the three-point arc on 9.9 perimeter attempts per game. He has been a surefire All-Star, has a legitimate case for playing like the best guard in the Eastern Conference, and has been one of the 10 best players in the NBA this season.

Beyond the raw counting stats, Maxey has clearly scaled up his role as the leader and face of the franchise. He stood at the podium at Sixers’ media day speaking about his goal of having a clear standard for what the quality of basketball needs to be, and he has walked the walk in this endeavor. Maxey checks every single box from a character and work ethic standpoint for what you hope for in a franchise centerpiece. He has already soared past any legitimate expectations for his career when he was drafted, while showing no signs of being done improving.

Third overall pick VJ Edgecombe has also looked to be a massive success, even while cooling off a bit from his red-hot start. Through his first 15 games, the Baylor product is averaging 15.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists and is shooting 36.6% from beyond the three-point arc. Edgecombe has also clearly earned the trust of Nick Nurse, logging 37.3 minutes per game, which trails only Maxey for the most in the entire NBA.

The combination of skill and athleticism of the Sixers’ backcourt has been impressive, and the skillsets of Edgecombe and Maxey are compatible. There is a pathway to the Sixers having the best backcourt in basketball in the not-too-distant future.

A bit more surprising, there has been an Andre Drummond resurgence this season. The veteran has stepped in as the part-time starter amid Joel Embiid’s continued injury uncertainty and is proving to have much more left in the tank than he showed in last year’s return to Philadelphia. Drummond is averaging 8.6 points and 10.6 rebounds across 24.3 minutes per game with his corner three becoming a legitimate weapon in the Sixers’ offense. The former All-Star is shooting 40% from beyond the three-point arc, which trails only Tyrese Maxey for the best rate on the team. He has attempted at least one perimeter shot in 12 of the 15 games this year.

Kelly Oubre Jr. has also played the best basketball of his career, although he is expected to be sidelined for a handful more games due to a knee injury. Quentin Grimes has had some ups and downs, but has been a net positive and proven last year was not just a fluke. His additional shooting and creation ability have been necessary in the rotation. Two-way forwards Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker have also been huge positives in smaller roles.

The Negatives

Embiid’s injury uncertainty was the largest question mark coming into the season, and there is still no clear answer here. On one hand, he has shown improvement across every game he has played after a concerning start to the year. His movement ability is beyond what he showed at any point last season, which is even more notable than his play. On the other, he has played just six of a possible 16 games.

The latest injury issue that sparked up is in his right knee, not the one that underwent a pair of surgeries in the span of 18 months. He has missed the past seven games leading up to Tuesday’s matchup with the Magic. The Sixers have been cautious in his approach and kept the long-term view of the season in mind. But the reality is, this is likely the norm for Embiid moving forward. There is always going to be some level of unpredictability with when the swelling will pop up with his knees, and there likely is no “fix” to the ailments he is dealing with.

Paul George started the season sidelined due to his offseason knee surgery, but he has played three of his past four. He is still on a minutes restriction and likely will never fulfill the max contract expectations, but the need for his skillset on this Sixers team is still clear. He has not earned his way into a positive just yet, but there have been some encouraging signs.

Speaking of knee surgery, Jared McCain has had some struggles reintegrating himself into the team. His stellar rookie season was cut short after 23 games due to a meniscus tear, and his start of this year was delayed due to a torn UCL in his shooting hand. McCain has been vocal about how bothersome the bulky knee brace was to his movement, and he has since ditched it. After spending a pair of games in the G League, McCain has started to find his footing within the offense. The Duke product is coming off a season-high 15 points in Sunday’s loss to the Heat. This improved offensive output has also earned him increased minutes, with him clocking a season-high 25:43 of game action in this matchup.

McCain being able to scale up his role is necessary for the Sixers moving forward. There is no doubt that Maxey and Edgecombe should be the leaders in minutes from a micro standpoint, but the pair ranking first and second in the entire NBA is unsustainable. This is more of an indictment on Nick Nurse than anything, but burning a pair of roster spots on Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon sure doesn’t help. The two veterans have played just 24 combined total minutes this year and stepped foot on the floor in four combined games.

Adem Bona also has not been able to make a push for the backup center spot in the way it was hoped. The Sixers have not been punished by this with Drummond playing well, but the second-year big man has not taken the leap forward and is still relatively raw in his skillset and processing of the game.

Fair Expectations

The biggest point toward optimism for the Sixers’ outlook is how poor the rest of the East is shaping up to be. The Wizards are 1-15 and have lost 11 straight, the Pacers are 2-14 without Tyrese Haliburton returning anytime soon, and the Nets are 3-13 and making it a clear priority to maximize their lottery odds this season. There is more reason for optimism on the Hornets’ roster, but they are 4-13 to start the year and don’t have much of a pathway to picking up a streak of wins to change this.

By default, there will be just one team that is trying to win that will not at least qualify for the play-in tournament. The Sixers certainly have their issues, but there are just as legitimate concerns with teams like the Bulls, Bucks, Celtics, Magic, Heat, and Raptors.

At minimum, the Sixers are a fun watch and compete on an every-night basis. There has been a foundation laid, establishing a level of competitiveness, and the roster has followed suit. In theory, there is a world where the proactive approach to Embiid and George’s ailments works in their favor, and the Sixers have a framework of one of the most talented teams in the conference around postseason time. History and logic don’t exactly point to this, but the organization is making its best effort to maximize these chances being the case.

There is something a bit comforting about going through a year without championship or second round expectations hanging over their heads. The jury is still out on how good this team actually is, but they’re worth watching, and there is a different vibe surrounding the organization. Buckle up for the ride and see where it takes us.