While the Sixers' 7-5 record is a relatively positive outcome given the lack of certainty surrounding the team, their problematic health and the memory of their miserable start to a nightmarish 24-58 campaign last season, it is also representative of some missed opportunities.
Of the Sixers' five losses, a few of them – including Friday's defeat at the hands of a depleted Detroit Pistons team – have been avoidable. That the Sixers can withstand some injuries, bungle some games and still see plenty of reasons for optimism is a testament to how much more pleasant everything has been this season.
However, there are some real causes for concern, both in terms of recent play and looking ahead. This is a very flawed team, even if it is one much closer to being good in a normal capacity than anybody expected it to be.
A look at some of the good and some of the bad in this week's edition of Sunday stats:
100
The percentage of Quentin Grimes' appearances in which he has recorded multiple turnovers.
Quentin Grimes and VJ Edgecombe have tag-teamed backup point guard duties when Tyrese Maxey has been off the floor this year; the level of success accomplished in those minutes has been difficult to quantify. Twice the Sixers have overcome relatively poor Maxey outings by winning his rest minutes, but on the whole they have been shredded with the sixth-year star guard off the floor.
While both Grimes and Edgecombe have more than enough chops to handle some ball-handling duties in an NBA rotation, neither one is a true primary creator. With Edgecombe in a particularly tough slump of late, more responsibility has befallen the 25-year-old Grimes, whose optimal role is likely as a secondary option on the perimeter and a tertiary option overall. Grimes gets to fill that role when sharing the floor with Maxey and Embiid, but because Embiid has missed six of the team's 12 games and no other competent ball-handlers exist on the roster outside of Edgecombe, Grimes has rarely gotten the chance to be utilized in an ideal fashion.
A player having the ball a decent bit racking up turnovers is not breaking news, but Grimes' issues with ball security have been pretty pronounced for the last few weeks:
| Game | Quentin Grimes turnovers |
| Oct. 22 @ BOS | 5 |
| Oct. 25 vs. CHA | 2 |
| Oct. 27 vs. ORL | 2 |
| Oct. 28 @ WAS | 2 |
| Oct. 31 vs. BOS | 3 |
| Nov. 2 @ BKN | 4 |
| Nov. 4 @ CHI | 4 |
| Nov. 5 @ CLE | 4 |
| Nov. 8 vs. TOR | 3 |
| Nov. 9 vs. DET | 3 |
| Nov. 11 vs. BOS | 4 |
| Nov. 14 @ DET | 2 |
On Friday, Grimes was not the lone bad actor in the Sixers' disastrous 15-point fourth quarter, but he certainly did not help them stay afloat:
Quentin Grimes had a pair of costly turnovers during the fourth quarter of the Sixers' loss on Friday; the second one exasperated Tyrese Maxey: pic.twitter.com/WUV3pPpxfS
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) November 16, 2025
It is not that Grimes should be used as an off-ball role player, on this team or any other. But in a perfect world, the blossoming skill he showed with the ball in his hands during the final two months of last season would be treated as a luxury more than a necessity. On this Sixers team, Jared McCain's troubles have forced Grimes into being an essential piece of any path to piecing together 48 viable minutes at point guard. It is not the best way to use Grimes, who has largely been very good in his first full season with the Sixers but quietly could be one of the most significant beneficiaries of McCain eventually getting right, even if it cuts into his minutes.
MORE: Jared McCain makes progress with Blue Coats: 'I'm getting there'
12.0
Justin Edwards' three-point attempts per 100 possessions.
When a player shoots 8-for-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from three-point range on national television to swing a game against a rival in front of his hometown crowd, it to be expected that their confidence will skyrocket. Justin Edwards had looked jarringly timid to begin his second NBA season, but his signature performance last week might have unlocked something.
During his rookie campaign, what made Edwards such a tantalizing prospect and a player head coach Nick Nurse rapidly grew so fond of was his ability to make quick decisions. Self-awareness is a tremendous skill, and Edwards immediately understood that he was not a player who should be dribbling a whole lot. When the ball swung his way, any decision – a shot, a swing pass or a drive – was made instantaneously, and more often than not Edwards was making prudent judgments as well.
Early on this year, Edwards was in his head. It was clear when watching him hesitate on spot-up threes, fail to drive with force or get caught in between two different ideas and turning the ball over. But after Tuesday's eruption against the Celtics, Edwards shot another six triples on Friday night in Detroit, connecting on three of them. Edwards' season-long three-point shooting numbers suddenly look stellar, but actually watching the shots he took against the Pistons shows a massive difference from where he was just a week or so ago:
After making five of his six three-point attempts in a career night vs. Boston on Tuesday, Justin Edwards looked particularly confident shooting spot-up threes quickly in Friday's loss @ Detroit: pic.twitter.com/4rOX0ECuvX
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) November 16, 2025
After what happened at the end of the first half of Friday's game, Edwards continuing to find his best self will be all the more important…
MORE: Edwards stays ready, and 'the work shows' with late-game heroics vs. Celtics
36.7
Kelly Oubre Jr.'s minutes per game in 2025-26 before leaving Friday's game early with a left knee hyperextension.
Kelly Oubre Jr. has been an incredibly consistent piece for the Sixers this year; after a so-so performance on opening night he strung together eight consecutive quality outings before falling into a mini-slump of sorts. His constant availability and effort have been extraordinary; Oubre cares deeply about starting and had earned every bit of a job many suspected he would lose early in the season.
Kelly Oubre Jr. continues to set the tone for the Sixers defensively while providing three-level scoring. Oubre's full highlights from Tuesday's game in Chicago (18 points, 7-11 FG, 2 steals, 2 blocks): pic.twitter.com/h71g7gCJot
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) November 5, 2025
The Sixers will have an injury report for Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers by Sunday evening, but left knee hyperextensions are typically not injuries players can suffer without missing any time:
Kelly Oubre Jr. will not return tonight vs. Pistons with a left knee hyperextension.
Looks like this is where it might have happened. You can see Oubre's left leg plant awkwardly and he was in some pain right after. pic.twitter.com/KfSuaYLz43— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) November 15, 2025
If Oubre does miss time, first of all, Paul George getting back on the floor would be particularly helpful. The slow nature of the nine-time All-Star's return to game action has been painstaking for many Sixers fans, even as the team acknowledges that George is in the final steps of his recovery.
Elsewhere, Edwards becomes especially important as someone whose defensive range is similar to that of Oubre's. Edwards is a wing by trade, but Nurse likes putting him on guards and asking the 21-year-old to chase them around. Grimes sliding up to small forward in three-guard lineups alongside Maxey and Edgecombe even more often is the most obvious solution, but the aforementioned issue of their nonexistent guard depth behind those three would be exacerbated. Another option: Eric Gordon, who has rarely been used this season but remains the ultimate floor spacer and has Nurse's trust guarding above his size.
MORE: Sixers falter offensively late, drop winnable NBA Cup game @ depleted Pistons
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