We asked our readers who on the Sixers—other than VJ Edgecombe—impressed them this Summer League. Johni Broome and Adem Bona led voting, though many readers are left unconvinced.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Philadelphia 76ers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Summer League is now behind us as we plow through another NBA offseason.
We know a lot of the hype around the seasonal Sixers’ died when 2025 No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe had to miss a few contests due to a thumb sprain. Nevertheless, there was still basketball to watch and players to keep an eye on.
In this week’s 76ers React Survey, we asked our readers which Sixer—other than Edgecombe—impressed them the most in Summer League. The results are in…
With just over half of all votes at 51% was No. 35 overall pick Johni Broome. Across seven summer games in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Broome averaged 11.6 points per game shooting 39.2% from the floor and 38.9% from long range as well as 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest. The three-point shooting is what seemed to impress our commenters the most, though some noted it was on relatively low volume (5.1 triple attempts per contest).
Next up with 23% of the vote was returning Sixer Adem Bona. Bona ended up playing 58 games in his rookie campaign last year as the Sixers’ roster became completely demolished by injuries, so many readers are curious to see the developments he’s made coming into his second NBA season. Across five summer league contests averaging 24.1 minutes on the floor, Bona averaged 8.6 points on 57.6% field goal shooting with six rebounds and 2.6 blocks per outing. What stuck out to me the most watching him specifically was his confidence in being a vocal leader on the floor. Anyone who has watched how miserable and stagnant the Sixers can get knows the importance of having an energetic, emphatic leader who isn’t afraid to make sure his teammates are where they need to be on the floor. In terms of actual play, Bona’s aggression with offensive rebounding as well as his defense were most impressive.
We did receive a number of comments saying their answer would realistically be that, other than Edgecombe, no one really had impressed them. While we did not include this as an option, it’s a relatively fair assessment. Take it from us here at Liberty Ballers if you didn’t get a chance to watch the games yourself: some of the basketball being played was painful to watch. The Sixers ended the summer with four wins and four losses, and none of the games after Edgecombe’s debut were particularly riveting.
I believe that speaks to the point, however, that Summer League is far from a true representation of anything resembling NBA basketball. It is a conglomeration of a few NBA-level players, a lot of G League ones and a few random invitees peppered in. Justin Edwards, for example, received just 4% of the vote here after an extremely lackluster summer, but you may remember him showing real potential on an actual NBA floor just last season.
So, for a real representation of these players at the NBA level, we are just going to have to wait. The next chance to see these guys in action will be in a little more than two months from now when the Sixers’ begin their preseason campaign in the beginning of October.