Today is Sunday, and that means it is time to dive into some numbers in another edition of Sunday stats. With the focus of the remainder of the Sixers season largely centering around young players with room for improvement, here are some notes about the team's unproven commodities:
10.1
Justin Edwards' points per game over his last 10 contests.
Edwards has looked noticeably more aggressive as an on-ball scoring for an extended stretch now, coming out of his shell a bit as a one-on-one player. The bulk of Edwards' long-term value will stem from his strong feel, excellent defense across multiple positions and quick trigger on spot-up three-point attempts, but any on-ball juice he can provide will give the Sixers a nice lift moving forward.
The numbers and the eye test agree that Edwards' aggression has gone up to a noticeable degree in recent weeks. Here is what the numbers say:
| First 19 games | Last 10 games |
| 7.5 PPG | 10.1 PPG |
| 6.1 FGA/G | 8.3 FGA/G |
And the film paints a similar picture. Edwards' eagerness of late to attack in space has been very apparent:
A few plays I had saved from the TOR/GSW/POR games in which Justin Edwards has looked noticeably more assertive and confident as an on-ball scorer: https://t.co/BtjiH0CLs4 pic.twitter.com/Sdmm5qJ20j
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) March 7, 2025
Does the 21-year-old hometown product feel like he is becoming more comfortable hunting his own shot at the NBA level?
"Yeah," Edwards said after the team's practice on Saturday. "And the game's just slowing down for me a little bit more. And then with guys like Tyrese [Maxey] and all of them guys being out, it's more opportunity for me to drive and be playing with the ball."
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7:51
Ricky Council IV's playing time against the Boston Celtics, despite the Sixers having seven players inactive.
Council, who had high hopes entering his second NBA campaign, has been in the midst of a difficult cycle all season long. And to some degree, it has made things more difficult for him as he tries to establish himself as a player worthy of minutes every single night.
In the first few months of the season, Council just did not play well enough to earn that right. His role became immensely difficult for any player, let alone one with such little NBA experience: the change-of-pace player who the team asks to shift the energy of a game when it is on the ropes. Council was uniquely successful in this role on a handful of occasions as a rookie, but it is not exactly a repeatable or sustainable. He has struggled to find his footing, often looking too focused on proving himself in his limited minutes, which further hurts his ability to earn trust from the team's coaching staff. All of it leaves Council on the outside looking in with his stock far lower than it was a year ago.
Ricky Council IV attempted eight shots in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. He made the first shot, an assisted corner three, and missed the next seven: pic.twitter.com/eOPLMeMung
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 23, 2025
"I've just got to continue to prove myself so coaches can trust me on the floor," Council said on Saturday. "For me personally, I like to win first and foremost, playing [or] not playing, but I also like to play. So one of my goals at the beginning of the season was to play consistent minutes. Obviously, hasn't happened, but like I said, first and foremost, I want to win."
Just minutes earlier, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse gave a rather honest assessment of where he is at with Council.
"Ricky's just… we just want Ricky to play a little better," Nurse said. "He's just got to play a little bit more physical defense, rebounding — he's a great athlete. I know he's only 6-foot-4, but we need help on the glass. He's got to provide some of that. Got to provide some help at the defensive end as well."
1
The number of times the importance of getting Adem Bona playing time over the final 20 games of the season should be reiterated.
Bona's actual statistical profile has largely been what one would have expected. The rookie second-round pick has blocked shots and shot a high percentage on low volume himself with astronomical foul rates. And the flashes have been jaw-dropping. Bona's frame and athletic tools lend themselves to plenty of highlight plays on both ends of the floor:
Adem Bona has flashed some skills going downhill when faking DHOs. A few plays from the Sixers' road back-to-back last weekend which stand out: pic.twitter.com/kgMopEE8fs
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 23, 2025
But Bona still has a whole lot of on-court polishing required to become a consistently viable backup center in the NBA. That is okay and part of the plan for the soon-to-be 22-year-old. But part of the plan is also that Bona will become a more seasoned player with increased reps, and given the nature of this Sixers season, there is absolutely no reason the UCLA product should not be in the rotation every night. Wins and losses are secondary at this point, but if Bona can post a strong 20-game sample between now and April 13 and enter his second NBA season with some momentum behind a potential rotation push, the Sixers will be far better off.
12.9
Lonnie Walker IV's three-point attempts per 100 possessions since joining the Sixers (seven games).
Nurse has described Walker as a "scorer/shooter," and that description is on the money. Walker is at his most comfortable when looking for his own shot, and he has not been shy about doing just that as he gets acclimated with his new team. In a perfect world, Walker is not someone an NBA team wants to take tons of shot attempts, but part of the Reading, PA native's value is derived from his ability to absorb some of that workload when high-usage players like Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid are sidelined.
Walker's first four games as a Sixer were rough, as the 26-year-old just could not get shots to fall. But he has been very good in two of his last three appearances, including on Thursday in Boston. Playing against the Celtics team that waived him after a strong training camp in October, Walker scored a season-high 17 points while shooting 5-for-10 from beyond the arc:
Lonnie Walker IV's extremely high volume from three-point range has helped a sputtering Sixers offense find decent looks. He knocked down a season-high five triples against the Boston Celtics on Thursday: pic.twitter.com/5Qy58bUVS7
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 9, 2025
Walker's willingness to fire away from beyond the arc at all times is his strongest trait; certainly it is the one that it is easiest to see helping him fit into a version of the Sixers that is playing at anything close to full strength. Last week, he was asked if his return to the NBA after a brief stint playing in Lithuania required an additional adjustment period because of the NBA's three-point line being farther away from the basket.
"I mean, I'm a scorer, I love to shoot," Walker said. "So that doesn't really make much of a difference."
MORE: How a benching, talks with Nick Nurse helped Kelly Oubre Jr. evolve
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