The Philadelphia 76ers may have turned in quite the disastrous campaign last season, but they also managed to rake in some meaningful gifts that will definitely keep on giving, especially during the upcoming 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
Case in point? Look no further than incoming sophomore Justin Edwards. Last year\u2019s rookie went undrafted during last year\u2019s draft, but the 76ers quickly took a flier on him, inking him to a two-way contract. However, it did not take him long to secure his firm spot on the roster. During the halfway mark of the season, the team converted his deal into a standard NBA contract \u2014 which further culminated in him getting rewarded with a new three-year deal<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n Edwards, who was once a five-star recruit out of high school, showed flashes of why he was such a highly touted prospect back then. He finished the season registering 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per outing on very respectable shooting splits for a rookie, draining 45.5 percent of his shots, including a 36.3 percent success rate from three-point territory.<\/p>\n Next season, Edwards figures to be an even more prominent part of the rotation, and in doing so, he will quickly make the 76ers look like geniuses in taking a gamble on him.<\/p>\n The 76ers will get rewarded for their Justin Edwards gamble next season<\/p>\n As a natural small forward, Edwards automatically becomes a very important piece of the puzzle for this rather undersized squad. Even when Philadelphia is at full strength, he should have zero problems sniffing the court for long durations.<\/p>\n However, that is only the baseline \u2014 the reason being that the 76ers are unlikely to get anywhere close to being at full strength. Right off the bat, Paul George is expected to miss some games<\/a> to kickstart the upcoming campaign, making Edwards an even more vital cog.<\/p>\n