We haven't quite left "small sample size" territory yet this NBA season, so every statistic should still be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, the Sixers have a net rating of plus-28.0 in the 87 minutes that Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Kelly Oubre Jr. have been on the court together. With the center position so volatile on a night-to-night basis, it's really promising for the Sixers to have a four-player lineup combo that can succeed seemingly no matter who is plugged in at the five.
One of the biggest stories of the Sixers offseason was Quentin Grimes' role in this backcourt after the addition of VJ Edgecombe. Well, it appears that Nick Nurse is answering that question by simply playing all three of his top guards together at the same time.
Maybe when Jared McCain gets healthy, he can roll out a four-guard lineup with Oubre at the five. I jest — sort of. In the meantime, the lack of size this group brings has not come back to haunt them at all. The speed, shotmaking, and athleticism of the bunch have far outweighed any deficiencies.
Sixers are running a three-guard lineup to perfection
A lack of size is the biggest potential downside this lineup presents, and even with the success it's had, the defensive rebounding rate it's produced would be the worst in NBA history. So there are a few numbers that point to this combo potentially not being usable for long stretches. Plus, it's safe to assume the elite defensive rating this group has produced (93.8) will rise when opposing teams counter this small-ball lineup with size.
Still — the offensive upside might remain high enough that this combo stays a Nick Nurse favorite throughout the season, and this lineup plus Joel Embiid might actually have enough versatility and paint protection (assuming, perhaps foolishly, that Embiid can become a real paint stopper once again) to get by on that end.
Also, any lineup putting up this impressive of a net rating with a rookie guard in the mix is pretty crazy. In fact, the three-guard lineup might be helping Edgecombe's adjustment to the league. When he's playing alongside other backcourt weapons as dangerous as Maxey and Grimes, it makes his life as the "other guy" pretty easy. And Edgecombe might be the best "other guy" in the league right now.
On their own, none of these four Sixers are surprising anyone with their impressive early play (except Edgecombe, who's more than impressive for a rookie). But as a four-man unit, I don't think anyone expected them to be world beater, yet that's what we've seen so far. A season of happy surprises for the Sixers? Count me in!