The NBA playoffs are a completely different reality compared to the regular season. Not only does the tempo intensify, but coaches throw an entirely new playbook at oppositions they have not prepared for. It is undoubtedly a learning curve for emerging stars. Unfortunately for the Philadelphia 76ers, their roster features an abundance of players who have never experienced postseason basketball, and facing off with the Boston Celtics is a true baptism by fire.
It is not like the 76ers do not boast weapons with playoff experience. Paul George has accumulated 114 postseason appearances throughout his career, while Tyrese Maxey has featured on 41 occasions. This is before you factor in the experience of Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr, and Kyle Lowry -- despite his non-existent role throughout the 2025-26 season. However, a chain is as good as its weakest link, and the players who haven't participated in the playoffs outweigh those who have.
VJ Edgecombe headlines a long list of inexperienced players
Without Joel Embiid on the floor, the Philadelphia 76ers are already at a significant disadvantage against a Boston Celtics team flaunting several championship-winning stars -- Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, to name a few. In cases like these, playoff savvy is everything.
What can you get away with in a playoff scenario? How physical are the officials going to allow games to get? How can different players expose matchups that were not there in the regular season? There is a high volume of 76ers players who cannot answer these questions.
Players with no playoff experience on the Sixers roster:
- VJ Edgecombe
- Adem Bona
- Dominick Barlow
- Jabari Walker
- Trendon Watford
- Dalen Terry
- Johni Broome
With Edgecombe starting in 75 games for Philadelphia this year, while Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow have featured heavily in the rotation throughout the season, Nick Nurse will be walking into the unknown in terms of which players he can trust. Edgecombe has taken on every challenge his head coach has thrown his way and handled them with impressive success. In this scenario, the rookie sensation will arguably be an anomaly when it comes to experience.
Still, there will be questions about how Bona and Barlow will perform when the spotlight is on them. During the 76ers' vital 109-97 victory over the Orlando Magic, Nick Nurse shortened his rotation to eight players -- which is not unusual in a postseason setting. Nevertheless, both Bona and Barlow were utilised, so it would not be outrageous to presume that they will have a role to play in the Celtics matchup.
Bona has improved throughout the regular season, most notably by reducing his proneness to fouling the opposition. Does this remain consistent when playing in a more intense setting? The Turkish international has fallen victim to eagerness in the past; a postseason scenario could resurface a problem that would undoubtedly hinder Philadelphia's ability to seal a shock victory on the road in their opening two matchups.
The TD Garden is a coliseum of noise come playoff time. If the Philadelphia 76ers are going to reign supreme over their Eastern Conference rivals, they will need composed characters on the floor. Boston's stars have been there and done it; they have championship-winning experience. VJ Edgecombe and co. are going to have to prove that a lack of postseason knowledge is not going to affect their performances. Is this possible? We are about to find out.
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