Trendon Watford has been putting up some spectacular performances for the Philadelphia 76ers in the early part of this season. If he continues to play at this current level throughout the year, he may very well be the kind of difference-maker that can truly raise the ceiling for this Sixers team.
When Watford initially signed with Philadelphia over the summer, it was on a two-year, $5.2 million deal. Nothing crazy, and probably not a lot of fans expected him to become a heavy-minutes rotation player that the team could truly rely on. Trendon has been able to reverse that narrative in just the first three weeks of the 2025-26 season.
Perhaps nothing has been more indicative of Watford's improvement and overall impact than his November 8 triple double against the Toronto Raptors. It was that kind of outing that solidified him as a versatile and game-changing player in the eyes of both the fanbase and the national audience.
Watford's size and mobility allow him to play in multiple spots on the floor and defend, rebound and make plays at a high level. His game is built around not just putting up numbers himself, but in making those around him better as well.
Trendon Watford has been very impressive this season
Shooting splits of 57/45/76% show that Trendon is finishing plays with regularity, and his assist numbers (career-high 4.0 assists per night) prove that he's creating and contributing on offense in ways that can't be captured purely in scoring numbers. It's exactly that kind of balance and two-way impact that makes a great role player.
The 76ers had some depth questions coming into this season, particularly when it came to wing production. But Watford has quickly become a plus in this department, and some already-established chemistry with his teammates has helped contribute to that outcome.
What ties this whole storyline together is Trendon's team-friendly contract. It's one thing to bring in a guy who delivers meaningful minutes from the outset, but it's another thing altogether when that guy's paycheck isn't weighing the team down. For a squad that's trying to maximize its title window with some aging pieces, having undervalued contributors who are making an impact is a big win.
We know that the Sixers have leaned pretty heavily on their stars in recent seasons. With Trendon Watford now taking a step up, Philadelphia just gets that much deeper in the grand scheme of things. It's developments like this that are going to matter over the course of a long 82-game season as well as the playoffs.