After the kind of season Justin Edwards turned in during his rookie year, every fan expected him to make a huge impact on the team in his sophomore campaign. Unfortunately, that cannot be any farther from the truth, as his play has taken a complete 180-degree. In fact, the Philadelphia 76ers seem to not even be that interested about the thought of relying on him moving forward.
Despite Paul George not seeing action for now due to a league suspension that will take him out of commission until near the end of the regular season, Edwards has barely gotten any run. This is a pretty telling indicia of what the 76ers feel about him at present, and suffice to say that he is definitely falling out of favor in Philly.
This season, the undrafted forward is averaging just 4.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest on a measly 40.3 percent from the field, which includes an underwhelming 33.9 percent success rate from beyond the three-point line. But even more glaring is the fact that he is registering just 14 minutes per game on the average.
The 76ers are close to giving up on Justin Edwards
In theory, Edwards is someone who can patch up a lot of things for the 76ers on both ends. After all, he flashed his skills as a capable perimeter shooter last season while holding his own on the defensive end. And with George not playing, it would be natural for him to assume the minutes he left.
Instead, he has become one of the last-resort options for Nick Nurse and the coaching staff when they need someone who can log some minutes. He has been in and out of the rotation which, in and of itself, is a vivid sign that the 76ers do not have a lot of trust reposed in him at this juncture.
To be fair, Edwards has not really done much to prove the coaching staff wrong. There are numerous occasions where he is the one pushing himself down the pecking order with his unreliable performances night in and out. It is hard to win minutes by struggling in the key areas where one is expected to thrive in.
The season is not yet over, but it almost seems like the 76ers are already firm in their belief that Justin Edwards has had a lost season. Now, that is something probably no one had on their bingo card before the campaign began.