The Philadelphia 76ers selected VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft back in June.
The rookie is expected to contribute to a team with championship aspirations, so he will have to have a solid season. It might be unfair to place high expectations on him, but with two of the three current Sixers’ stars injured, he might be called upon to make a big impact in his first year.
With that being said, how have previous Sixers rookies done in the past? Some have faired quite well, while others were barely contributors. Take a look at the top five rookie seasons for the Sixers in the last decade:
5. Dario Saric (2016-17)
Dario Saric was selected 12th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic and traded to the Sixers on draft night. The Croatian forward signed with the Sixers in 2016 and came over and immediately contributed to a team who were anxious to start winning after a long rebuild. In his rookie campaign, he averaged 12.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Saric showed off his high basketball IQ and ability to stretch the floor, proving a capable floor-spreading option alongside Joel Embiid and eventually Ben Simmons. He would finish his rookie season second in Rookie of the Year voting to then-Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcom Brogdon.
After his rookie season, it looked like Saric was set to be a building block for the Sixers—that is, until he was traded alongside Robert Covington in the Jimmy Butler deal.
4. Tyrese Maxey (2020-21)
Tyrese Maxey was drafted 21st overall in the 2020 NBA Draft to a team with a new head coach in Doc Rivers and championship aspirations. He played sparingly throughout the year due to Rivers’ rotations and coaching style, but he played; he was a fan favorite and made an impact.
Maxey’s stats were somewhat pedestrian during his rookie year, averaging 8.0 points and 2.0 assists in 15.9 minutes per game, but he flashed glimpses of the eventual franchise building block he would become.
In a game early in the season with the entire roster out due to COVID, he started the first game of his career against the Denver Nuggets and scored 39 points. He also helped the Sixers stave off elimination in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference second round against the Atlanta Hawks by scoring 16 points off the bench with Ben Simmons in foul trouble. The Sixers didn’t know it then, but they had a franchise player in the making.
3. Jahlil Okafor (2015-16)
Philly drafted big man Jahlil Okafor third overall in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Duke, hoping he could lead the Sixers out of their rebuild. He averaged 17.5 points per game, while grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game.
During his rookie year, his footwork and touch around the rim, gave the Sixers a post scoring presence that they really lacked. His play in 58 games, earning him a spot on the All-NBA Rookie First team. His time with the Sixers ended early when they traded him in December 2017, and he hasn’t been able to recover his career since.
2. Ben Simmons (2017-18)
Ben Simmons was selected first overall in 2016 but lost his first year in the NBA due to a broken foot suffered in training camp, gearing up for the season. When he finally debuted in 2017, he delivered numbers that delivered on his pre-draft comparisons to LeBron James.
Simmons averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. His unique blend of size, speed, playmaking, and elite defense even earned him Rookie of the Year honors over Donovan Mitchell.
Simmons locked up Rookie of the Year during an end-of-season stretch with Joel Embiid out with injury, he helped pace the Sixers to 16 straight wins and third place in the Eastern Conference. Although his career didn’t end well with Philadelphia, there’s no denying his awesome rookie campaign.
1. Joel Embiid (2016-17)
After missing his first two seasons due to injury, Embiid finally debuted and his first game was sensational. He followed up that first game with a really good rookie season, even though it was cut short due to injury.
Playing just 31 games in his rookie year, Embiid’s rookie season may have been cut short, but it was also dominant.
The budding franchise star averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per night. His presence gave the Sixers a true two-way force at center and he immediately became a true franchise cornerstone.
Embiid was so dominant that he was a fixture in the Rookie of the Year down to the wire, but his shortened season allowed Malcom Brogdon to win it. Injuries have continued to impact Embiid’s career, but it has remained the same ever since he debuted. On the court, he is one of the best players in the world.
