The 76ers had a very under-the-radar offseason in which they had little money to play with and only two draft picks. Because of this, they had to hit on both draft picks as well as sign the diamond in the rough free agents who would gel with the team to have a successful offseason.

So far, the Sixers are 5-2 on the season and playing some good early-season team basketball, but just how well are the new players doing individually? I'll be assigning grades to each of the 76ers' new players and diving deeper into their individual performances. 

Johni Broome

Grade: N/A

The 76ers selected Johni Broome from Auburn in the second round at pick 35, seeing his college experience and rebounding as valuable traits. The pick was polarizing due to Broome's age, as he is 23 years old as a rookie. His lack of shooting was also a concern coming out of college. 

Broome did show some promise as a floor spacer during his summer league campaign, but it is too small a sample size to gauge how much of an impact he will be in that role. So far, he has only logged five regular-season minutes in the Sixers' clash with Brooklyn on November 2nd, in which he had four points shooting 2/5 from the field, and two boards.

Broome was recently assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats to play and develop in the G League, and it will be exciting to track his progress, but I cannot assign him a grade just yet. 

Jabari Walker 

Grade: C+

Walker was signed to a two-way contract this offseason, in a low-risk but high-reward move from the front office. He previously spent 3 seasons on the Portland Trail Blazers, with 24 total starts between those years. In 2023, he showed some capability as a defender and rebounder while also averaging a career-high 8.9 PPG.

In 2024, he saw his role decrease significantly, but he expanded on his game as a shooter, hitting 38.9% of his three pointers, which is up more than 10% from the previous year. So far in Philadelphia, he has started 4 of the 7 games that he's played in, but has yet to log 20 minutes in a contest. His best game came against Washington on October 28th, where he had eight points on 3/3 shooting from the field.

He has also contributed some solid defense and size to the roster. His biggest downside, however, is that he has not hit any three-point shots yet this season. Perhaps the biggest reason why he was brought in was to add shooting on the wing, and he has mustered an abysmal 0/6 from beyond the arc. For that reason, I have to knock his grade significantly. 

Dominick Barlow

Grade: B+ 

In perhaps my favorite move of the 76ers' offseason, they brought in the young 22-year-old Dominick Barlow on a two-way contract. Barlow has had previous stops in San Antonio and Atlanta, where he had his two-way contract converted to a standard contract back in March.

Barlow's 6'9 frame and three years of experience at such a young age is extremely intriguing. If developed right, he can be a pivotal role player and fill the Sixers' desperate need at PF. Unfortunately, we haven't seen as much of Barlow as I would like. He suffered a right elbow laceration back on October 25th and has taken longer to recover than anticipated.

He was only able to play in the first two games of the year, but he started both of those games and averaged 7.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, on 50% shooting from the field. It is a very small sample size, but from what I have seen from Barlow, I am very excited about what he can bring to the team when he returns from injury. 

Barlow has been severely missed on the team over the last few games as they've lacked much depth at power forward, especially with Paul George remaining out. 

Trendon Watford

Grade: B+

Watford was brought in on a two-year deal worth $5.3 million to try and fill the void at PF. He is in his 5th season out of LSU after spending two years in both Brooklyn and Portland. In 2024 as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, he averaged a career high 10.2 points per game on 46.9% from the field.

The two seasons before that, he shot over 39% from three, showcasing his ability to stretch the floor. The 76ers brought him in to hopefully play a big role and provide scoring and efficiency in the frontcourt. Unfortunately, he was sidelined for the beginning of the season due to a hamstring injury, but he has since returned.

In his 4 games this season, he is averaging 6.5 points on almost 60% shooting from the field, with his best game coming against his former team in the Brooklyn Nets. He dropped 16 points and grabbed a stellar nine rebounds, to go along with seven assists. Once Watford is fully healthy and integrated into the lineup more often, I see no reason why he would disappoint Sixers fans. 

VJ Edgecombe

Grade: A++ 

Yes, I saved the best for last. Selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft, VJ Edgecombe came into the year with high expectations, but has since blown those expectations so far out of the water that they are not even visible anymore.

After a very promising freshman season at Baylor and some Olympics experience with The Bahamas, Edgecombe was always going to be a top-five draft pick. He possesses elite athleticism and defense, good size for a combo guard, and a sense of composure and motivation on the court.

In the Sixers' season opener in Boston, he scored a whopping 34 points, shooting 13/26 from the field, to go along with seven rebounds and a few highlight dunks. His 34 points are the third most ever by a rookie in their debut.

Since that game, he has continued to play at an All-Star level, averaging 19.1 points, 5.9 boards, and 4.9 assists, all while shooting almost 48% from the field. Everyone knew his slashing, defense, and athleticism would be on full display, but what has surprised me and others is his three-point shooting.

After only hitting 34% of his threes at Baylor, he is splashing an absurd 43.9% of his threes so far. Many scouts saw his range as a weakness during the pre-draft process, but it has been one of his biggest strengths during the young season. Edgecombe has positioned himself as the Rookie of the Year favorite and is well on his way to superstardom.