Despite a tough season, Sixers fans can celebrate a few very positive takeaways from this early stretch of the 2025-26 NBA season.
While this last stretch of games hasn't been pretty for the Philadelphia 76ers, the season as a whole could be going worse in terms of the overall record. This is especially true when considering how poor their luck has been with injuries already.
That said, this season has been very frustrating at times, and it can be hard to think about positives with the team. With it being Thanksgiving, however, we wanted to put a focus on the positives rather than the negatives, and highlight three things to be thankful for as a Sixers fan.
No. 1 - Tyrese Maxey
Without a doubt, Tyrese Maxey has been the brightest light in Philadelphia this season, putting together an unexpected MVP campaign early in the season. Averaging 32.2 PPG and 7.5 APG, Maxey has been able to lead the team to nine victories this season, most of which came while playing without fellow stars like Paul George and Joel Embiid.
It's been very clear over these last 13 games or so that this team would be absolutely nothing without Maxey and that, even with an injured Embiid, he could still lead this team to be competitive. That last statement has been less true as of late, but they've also been missing more than just Embiid, with four starters sidelined in their 41-point loss to the Orlando Magic.
Fortunately for the Sixers, if they at least have Maxey, they'll continue to have a fighting chance for a playoff spot. This is the main goal this season as regardless of how much Embiid plays in the regular season, he could help lead the team to a postseason run if he's healthy enough by then.
No. 2 - VJ Edgecombe
While it's true that Edgecombe had a bit of a rough streak, he's scored double digits in all but two games this season, and has consistently been one of the best players on the team's offense. Additionally, his struggles mainly looked to be due to a combination of exhaustion and rookie mistakes, which will both be fixed as he continues to develop a feel for the NBA.
If the team can make the playoffs, he's going to be a huge factor and could be one of the key players to help push them to victory. Those "three and D" guys have been so important in finals runs in the past, and he could provide exactly that for Philadelphia.
No. 3 - 76ers' Throwback Jerseys
Though Maxey has been the biggest positive on the court, perhaps the best thing to come out of this Sixers season thus far is their iconic throwback jersey's from the 2000-2001 season. These jersey's were iconic over two decades ago, and while some thought they might not be done justice, they were completely wrong.
Seeing Embiid in those jersey's just feels right, and with Maxey it's almost as if Allen Iverson is back on the team. If nothing else positive happens this season, it would still have been worth watching just to see those beautiful jersey's.