The Philadelphia 76ers have played well for the most part to start the season. With a 5-3 win-loss card as of writing, the team seems poised to be a shoo-in for the playoffs, and great things are still coming their way with Paul George set to return from injury and both Joel Embiid and Jared McCain still trying to find their mojo.
A slew of players have gotten off to hot starts individually, but the same cannot be said for Justin Edwards, who has greatly struggled to kick off his second season as a pro. After an impressive rookie season where he turned out to be a key player for the 76ers, Edwards has been marginal at best so far.
Edwards has just gotten 12.1 minutes per game so far, down from 26.3 last season. That is a steep decline in court time, but the reality is that he has not given the coaching staff any compelling reason to play him more despite the absence of George. He has struggled a lot from the field, and his numbers do reflect the proverbial sophomore slump.
Justin Edwards has to step up if he wants to remain the 76ers rotation when Paul George returns
After struggling in the Summer League and during the preseason, Edwards has seemingly brought his slump into the regular season, draining just 37.9 percent of his shots. His lack of shot-creation and unreliable shooting have prevented him from getting as many minutes as expected, and unless he does something drastic to turn things around, he is definitely poised to fall out of favor in the rotation.
That is more so the case especially since George is getting closer to making his return. The 76ers have reportedly taken the next step in ushering in his comeback, and it will certainly be interesting to see how the nine-time All-Star’s return will impact the team, specifically when it comes to the rotation.
One thing is for sure, though — if Edwards still cannot make the most of his already sparse minutes, there is just no way that he can even sniff the floor when George returns and as long as Kelly Oubre Jr. stays healthy.
Edwards has to do more than just find his shot, though. He needs to be an impactful defender while also helping out in the areas that don’t reflect in the stat sheet, especially with the 76ers not exxactly showing much defensive acuity early on.
Hopefully, the sophomore can break out of his slump soon. After all, he showed way too much promise in his freshman campaign to just be relegated to third-stringer duty.