What did we learn about the Sixers during 2025 NBA Summer League?

With an eight-game slate in the rearview, the journey of the 2025 Summer Sixers is over.

The team played three contests in Salt Lake City before heading to Las Vegas for another five games. A thumb injury limited No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe to only two appearances, but many intriguing Sixers youngsters did see plenty of action.

While the results of Summer League games do not mean much, these outings can at least provide some useful data on players still finding their footing in the NBA.

An overview of some key takeaways from what the Summer Sixers showed in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas:

Seeing the vision for VJ Edgecombe

While the Sixers’ newest franchise cornerstone did a whole lot of impressive things in his two appearances — a stellar debut in Salt Lake City and a resilient return in Las Vegas — there is only so much that can be gleaned from a pair of Summer League games.

If anything stood out above the rest — particularly watching the Las Vegas game from directly behind the basket — it is Edgecombe’s speed going from end to end. For most players with outlier athleticism, they are often just thought of as explosive leapers. Edgecombe certainly is that, but he also has top-end speed, which he can utilize beating defenders down the floor as a transition scorer or blowing by them in the half-court from a standstill.

Edgecombe’s instincts were also notable, particularly when it comes to finding seams in the defense when playing without the ball in transition. Edgecombe attributed that sense to his work studying film:

I wrote last night and this morning about how VJ Edgecombe seems to naturally find seams in transition defenses to get open around the rim. I likened it to a slot receiver finding a hole in a zone in football.

Thanks to the Sixers on YT, here’s video of me asking VJ about that: pic.twitter.com/dgKDoiWEB8

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) July 16, 2025

The Sixers believe Edgecombe’s transition offense and point-of-attack defense can help them right away, while the on-ball aspects of his game that need some extra work will not be required in his rookie season. But that is an assumption based on an idea of the Sixers remaining healthy.

MORE: Edgecombe says he has ‘no fear at all.’ He proved it with Summer Sixers

Johni Broome fires away

The Sixers selected the soon-to-be 23-year-old with the No. 35 overall pick last month in part because they believe he is such a well-rounded player that his success will not be determined by any one skill. With that being said, Broome’s ceiling will rise exponentially if he can turn into a consistent three-point shooter in the NBA.

Broome never shot the ball well in college — from the free throw line or beyond the arc — but his volume increased notably in his final seasons at Auburn, which is typically a strong indicator of professional success. Broome told PhillyVoice upon the Sixers’ arrival in Las Vegas that he was confident in where he shot would end up with consistent work.

Getting up as many long-range shots as possible was clearly a key for Broome this month, and in 170 minutes of Summer League action he got up 36 three-point tries. That is good for just over eight attempts per 36 minutes, a terrific mark in terms of volume. Broome also posted excellent efficiency, for whatever it is worth in a sample this small (probably not a ton). Broome made 14 threes, shooting 38.9 percent from long range.

If there was a disappointing aspect of Broome’s performance in Summer League, it was that his passing chops were not utilized all that much. Broome has real playmaking skill for a big. Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines, who fondly remembers coaching Broome at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine before Broome elected to return to school, believes that will be a critical component of his game at the next level.

“Once he gets comfortable, his IQ is going to grow even more,” Hines told PhillyVoice. “He’s going to become an even better passer and a really, really good player, but I think the reason he is such a good passer is because he has a really good IQ. He’s been coached well by a good college team that won a lot of games, man. So I think he understands what’s going on.”

MORE: Hines recalls coaching Broome

Other notes from Summer League

Edgecombe and Broome were not the only players to showcase their skills and deficiencies over the last two weeks. Some other observations from these eight games:

• Judah Mintz is clearly deserving of a two-way contract. It was slightly surprising when the former Syracuse University star never landed one last year. After an outstanding rookie season in the G League and another strong Summer League, there should be no doubt at this point. The problem, of course, is that the Sixers do not have an open two-way spot available.

• If Mintz could challenge any of the Sixers’ two-way players, it would likely be undrafted rookie Hunter Sallis. Sallis was thought of as a scoring- and shooting-centric prospect, and did neither of those things all that well in Salt Lake City or Las Vegas. He did have a pair of impressive dunks, but Sallis largely struggled to score the ball effectively. His passing and defense were much better than expected, though.

• Jalen Hood-Schifino ended last season with the Sixers on a two-way deal, looking to prove he would be more than a trivia question due to his involvement in the wildest trade in NBA history. His flashes with the Sixers down the stretch of a miserable campaign were extremely limited, and it is jarring that an incoming third-year player could not find much of anything resembling an offensive groove.

• Jalen Slawson played 12 NBA games as a rookie second-round pick in the 2023-24 season, but spent last season in the G League. Slawson’s athleticism at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds popped; if he does not garner any two-way interest the Sixers could try to stash him with the Delaware Blue Coats.

• Izan Almansa is another player whose athleticism is impressive relative to his size, and he is already Delaware-bound after agreeing to terms shortly after going undrafted on an Exhibit 10 contract — a training camp deal that comes with a signing bonus if the player ends up with that team’s G League affiliate.

MORE: Paul George undergoes arthroscopic procedure on left knee

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