The Sixers will be back in action on Friday night in Detroit, looking to avenge their last-second home loss to the Pistons on Sunday night. This time, the teams will be facing off in NBA Cup Group Play; for the Sixers it is a must-win in order to stay alive in the race for a spot in the Knockout Rounds.
Joel Embiid will remain out due to right knee soreness, while Paul George will also still be sidelined. VJ Edgecombe has appeared on an NBA injury report for the very first time; he is questionable with a back spasm. Jared McCain is out while on G League assignment (more on that to come) and Dominick Barlow is set to return from a nine-game absence.
Ahead of the second matchup of the year between the Sixers and Pistons, taking a look at Edgecombe's significant struggles of late, two-way forward Jabari Walker's timely emergence and McCain's postgame comments after his G League debut on Thursday.
Let another edition of Friday film begin...
VJ Edgecombe's first NBA slump
The first six games of Edgecombe's NBA career were breathtaking. The ensuing five-game stretch has been sobering.
In his first six NBA games, Edgecombe averaged 20.3 points per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three-point range and 82.4 percent on free throws. He also averaged five rebounds and assists per game to go with 1.5 steals. Edgecombe was believed to be entering the NBA with on-ball scoring, ball-handling and playmaking as his key weaknesses; not only did he shatter expectations on those fronts but also exceeded expectations in the areas where he was expected to thrive early.
Regression was always inevitable, and it has hit Edgecombe hard. He has made only 17 of his 61 shot attempts over the course of his six-game slump, and his difficulties have been apparent all over the place.
Edgecombe has struggled inside the arc:
And he has struggled from beyond the arc:
Additionally, Edgecombe's suboptimal handle has been easier to detect of late. His turnover numbers are not terrible, but it has been more clear in recent games that Edgecombe does have important limitations as an on-ball player right now. Of course, that is perfectly normal and acceptable for a 20-year-old rookie on a team with a former NBA MVP and a player averaging 32.1 points per game. But all along, scouts indicated that the one factor that could cap Edgecombe's upside was his ball-handling. It is worth monitoring moving forward.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse did not seem overly concerned about Edgecombe when talking about the No. 3 overall pick after Sixers practice on Thursday.
"I think we certainly want him to be aggressive and we try to convey that to him," Nurse said. "He kind of needs to take that and run with it a little bit more. I need to set up, give him some situations where you're saying, 'This is for you to attack,' right? And we probably haven't done a good enough job of that from a coaching standpoint, where we're just saying, 'Come hell or high water, this is your play, go make something happen,' and I think he just needs more reps of that and some more situations we can put him in. So we can certainly do a better job of that."
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Jabari Walker hitting his stride
With the return of fellow two-way forward Barlow imminent, it was imperative for Walker to make a louder statement over the last few games about how he can make this team better.
Mission accomplished.
Walker has been terrific of late, beginning with a tremendous stretch in the first half of last week's Pistons game in which he finally made his first three-point shot of the season and then added another while continuing to dominate on the offensive glass and capitalize on the extra opportunities he generates for himself and others. Walker is a real worker down there. Just like Barlow he can make a genuine impact on a game with his offensive rebounding.
But Walker has been trying to prove he is more than just a bruiser, and he is finally showing signs of it. Before the season began, Walker lit up when asked by PhillyVoice about his ability to impact his new team as a passer. Walker has a tremendous feel for the game, and years playing alongside ball-dominant guards like Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons have given him valuable instruction as far as how to play in short-roll and advantage situations. Walker was adamant that those skills would translate in a significant fashion on the Sixers' guard-heavy team, and in Tuesday's win over the Celtics he had three impressive assists in one short spurt:
The Sixers also need Walker to be a sturdy defender, and his strength and sturdiness as a forward – plus his ability to slide up to a small-ball five role in a pinch when needed – are assets on that front. So are his strong instincts:
Walker has crafted a compelling case that, when the Sixers and Pistons do battle on Friday, he should remain in the mix. Whether or not Nurse will be willing to go with a 10-man rotation on a regular basis, though, remains to be seen.
MORE: How 10-year NBA veteran Samaki Walker raised Jabari for life in NBA
Jared McCain talks first G League game
Jared McCain went to Delaware on Thursday night for what will likely be the first of two appearances with the Blue Coats in the G League. For more on McCain's performance, the significant change made to the equipment on his surgically-repaired left knee, and how the 21-year-old is handling all of it mentally, click here.
Otherwise, here is a collection of audio from McCain's media availability after the game:
MORE: McCain makes progress with Blue Coats: 'I'm getting there'
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