Entering last season, Sixers fans weren’t really sure what to expect from Guerschon Yabusele and Adem Bona and both showed they belong in the NBA. Is there a newcomer that could perform similarly in 2025-26?
It goes without saying that expectations are going to be high for VJ Edgecombe in his rookie season. But in order for the Sixers to bounce back after a down 2024-25, they’re probably going to need one or two of the other new additions to overachieve.
As the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George forever remains in question, the Sixers will need as many young, healthy and productive bodies on the court most nights to help offset their absences. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the other newcomers who aren’t Edgecombe and try to decipher who could make an impact similar to that of Guerschon Yabusele or Adem Bona’s last season.
Trendon Watford
Philadelphia is banking on the former Net to be Yabusele’s direct replacement. On nights when Embiid and George are both available, Watford probably won’t crack the starting lineup, but he’s certainly someone that could start a good chunk of games in 2025-26.
Lots of Watford’s surface-level statistics for his career are similar to Yaubsele’s. If you’re a glass-half-full kind of fan, you’re probably curious to see if there’s a mid-20s uptick in production for Watford that Yabusele never experienced stateside because he was out of the NBA for his mid 20s. When you consider the age of Watford and Yabusele, then Watford should be viewed as an upgrade. If you have two players putting up similar numbers, wouldn’t you always want the younger player to see if there’s a little more room for growth in the younger player?
Bear in mind, the 27 minutes a night that Yabusele played last season is not a number Watford has sniffed so far in his NBA career. That’s another reason for optimism surrounding what Watford can provide in the rotation. Watford’s averages in Brooklyn last year were on par with Yabusele’s in Philly and Waford was playing less. Yabusele was a fan favorite last year and it’s understandable for fans to be upset over Yabusele seemingly not being very wanted by Daryl Morey and company, but Watford appears to be an adequate replacement.
Johni Broome
As far as statistical production in 2025-26, I’m not sure Broome matches what Yabusele did last season so that void will likely be up to Watford to fill. However, Broome was undoubtedly a willing outside shooter throughout Summer League. With the exception of the Memphis game, his results from three-point land were pretty solid, especially considering his outside shot was considered a weakness in college.
In an ideal world, Broome, Bona and Watford are gobbling up a good chunk of the frontcourt minutes when Embiid is not available. That’s putting a lot of pressure on Broome to come right in and be playable against NBA bigs and Bona to continue to develop offensively. But it’s also to some extent as reasonable of an expectation as you can put on a rookie drafted in the second round given the extensive college experience that Broome has under his belt. I’m cautiously optimistic that at this time one year from now Broome will look like one of the better picks of this year’s second round.
Jabari Walker
We’re now going to touch on a few new guys that signed two-way deals now. We’ll start with Walker who will enter training camp vying for a roster spot in the fall. Walker played one game in the G League for Portland’s affiliate last year and dominated down there while appearing in 60 games in the NBA for the Trail Blazers in 2024-25. He also made 23 starts for Portland in the NBA in 2023-24.
It certainly seems like Walker is too good to be buried in the G League but it remains uncertain as to if he can hold his own for an entire season in The Association. Having said that, Walker was probably a good gamble by Philadelphia. 2025-26 will be his age 23 season. He was a late second-round pick by Portland in 2022 and guys like that always need a few years of development in the NBA if they can even stick around to begin with. The Sixers are obviously hoping that now that Walker has a few years of NBA experience under his belt, he has developed his game enough to hang on to one of the spots at the bottom of the bench.
If you’re unfamiliar with Walker, he’s listed at 6-foot-9 which means if Broome, Bona and Watford can do their jobs with the minutes they get up front, the Sixers will be able to bring Walker along at a slower pace as a fourth or fifth big in the rotation. He’s also one to make a lot of hustle plays which is a necessity for a player on the fringes of the roster. Walker’s signing was met with lots of positive feedback last month and he’s probably the best bet for a “surprising” newcomer if you’re looking for someone that elicits a “Where did this guy come from?” type of reaction.
Dominick Barlow
Barlow is probably more of a lottery ticket than Walker is, but Barlow’s Philly and New Jersey ties will make him easy to get behind if he gets off on the right foot. Barlow started his high school career at St. Joseph’s Prep before transferring to Dumont High School in North Jersey. He then went to Overtime Elite for the league’s inaugural season in 2021-22 before signing with the Spurs as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
After two-way contracts with San Antonio and Atlanta, Barlow is back in the Northeast on a two-way with the Sixers. He’s listed at 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, so he’s another guy that Philadelphia could use for some frontcourt minutes off the bench during his cups of coffee with the NBA team. You’ve probably noticed a trend by now. All four of the players we highlighted are frontcourt players and Andre Drummond was brought back. It sure seems like Daryl Morey’s plan was to take the best player available at third overall. Once Edgecombe was the pick, getting as many bodies as he could find to fill minutes in the frontcourt knowing Embiid and George are likely to miss a lot of time again was the focus.