The Philadelphia 76ers have had one of, if not the most stale seasons of any team in recent memory. Despite many expecting them to be in legitimate contention for the championship this year, they now find themselves pushing their luck to snag the top prize in the draft at this point in the season instead of jockeying for playoff position — something they have done for the last seven years or so.
Unfortunately, that is clearly not the case anymore. None of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George are suiting up in games, and the team has basically accepted its fate this season as one of the more potent threats to land the first overall pick.
Having said that, the 76ers have every reason to look forward to the future, not only because of the helluva prospect they could find themselves snagging in this year’s draft, but due to a player that has really galvanized the franchise even in these seemingly moot point in time — Quentin Grimes.
Quentin Grimes could become an All-Star with the 76ers
Grimes has taken a monumental leap since the trade that dangled him away from Dallas, emerging as a bona fide star with the 76ers. He has singlehandedly given fans a good reason to stay tune to games, and so far, he looks like he isn’t stopping anytime soon.
He hasn’t been perfect, but that’s only because the peanut gallery will always find something to nitpick on. The truth is that he has been the team’s best player since stepping foor in Philly — in 17 games with the team thus far, he has averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game on a blistering 51 percent shooting from the field, including an impressive 39.3 percent success rate from downtown.
The 76ers will definitely do whatever it takes to bring him back for next season and beyond — a near imperative given that he could very well sustain this kind of play, as thus far, every good prospect that has left Dallas has somehow turned into bona fide stars at the very least.
Wow pic.twitter.com/uthhbHjMJx
— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) March 18, 2025
(Maybe we don’t count Derrick Jones Jr., but yeah, you get the point.)
Of course, Grimes would step down in the pecking order once Embiid and company resume play, but those are bona fide asterisks at this juncture. And if the 76ers manage to somehow trade George, that could open up even more leeway for Grimes to make the proverbial second leap.
This season may have been incredibly sour for the Philadelphia 76ers, but in time, they could at least look back at it as the season Quentin Grimes started his journey as a future star.