The Philadelphia 76ers have three All-Stars and a well-founded reason to believe they can contend in 2025-26. Unfortunately, the 76ers also have two All-Stars with a long history of injuries that have already rendered the 2024-25 season somewhat obsolete.
The difference between the 2025-26 and 2024-25 76ers, however, is that the roster in place would still offer ample reason for optimism if Joel Embiid and Paul George are unable to stay healthy.
No one in their right mind would wish for such an outcome, as it's equal parts inhumane and illogical. On the latter front, Philadelphia's best shot at contending is to have an MVP in Embiid and a six-time All-NBA honoree in George teaming with All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey.
It's then that the depth the 76ers have acquired can shine through and provide head coach Nick Nurse with a strong enough supporting cast to give the stars a chance to lead the team to glory.
In the event that injuries continue to play a factor in Philadelphia's reality, however, not all hope would be lost. The 76ers have assembled a compelling group of promising up-and-coming players who can give the team a shot at a postseason appearance and develop into something special long term.
After a year of agonizing inconsistency without Embiid and George, the silver lining is that the 76ers are now equipped with talent they can build for the future with.
76ers have overcome injuries to build a promising core of young players
Maxey is a productive 24-year-old combo guard who has already made an All-Star team. Over the past two seasons, he's compiled averages of 26.1 points, 6.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 3.1 three-point field goals made per game—certifiable star-level production.
Maxey also has the feather in his cap of leading the 76ers to the playoffs in 2023-24 despite Embiid missing 43 games due to injury.
That alone offers reason for optimism about what the future may hold for Philadelphia, regardless of how their veteran stars hold up. The 76ers have added a growing list of promising young players around Maxey, including Adem Bona, VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, and Quentin Grimes.
Each of those players represents a viable opportunity for the 76ers to build out their rotation with the type of talent that can either supplement Embiid and George or learn to stand on its own.
76ers can build around the likes of VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey
With Maxey already displaying star attributes, the up-and-coming players around him become even more intriguing. Grimes, for instance, averaged 21.9 points and 4.5 assists per game in 28 appearances with the 76ers in 2024-25 and did so without a drastic increase in efficiency.
If Grimes can even find a middle ground between the 16.1 points per 36 minutes he was averaging before the trade to Philadelphia and the 23.4 he posted with the 76ers, he could become a cornerstone.
Edgecombe, meanwhile, was the No. 3 overall selection at the 2025 NBA Draft—and is already justifying the hype. He's been heralded as a potential two-way force of nature, and even in Summer League and preseason action, he's displayed those characteristics.
Even Nurse has been blown away by how much more capable Edgecombe is with the ball in his hands than most expected him to be. Per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
“I think we thought, ‘OK, maybe he could play on the ball some,’ and we were talking about, ‘Let’s do it at summer league,’” coach Nick Nurse said after a 126-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the preseason finale. “But where we’re at, I think he’s way ahead of where we thought he might be, being able to do that.”
If Bona and Edwards build upon successful rookie seasons, and Edgecombe and Grimes continue down the path they seem to be headed towards, the 76ers would have a captivating young core led by an All-Star in Maxey.
The obvious goal is for Embiid and George to remain healthy, but even they should benefit from an improved supporting cast that's flush with promising up-and-coming players.