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Dec 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) in action against the Orlando Magic during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

76ers Want To Get 'Much Younger' Next Season

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Declan Harris | Last updated Apr 14, 2025 1:46 PM ET

The Philadelphia 76ers had an abysmal season, one that started with high hopes of a deep playoff run but ended well short of that goal. Injuries were perhaps the biggest reason for the Sixers' struggles this season, with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey all finding it difficult to stay on the court consistently.

The first two had suffered from injury problems from the start of the campaign, while Maxey was out for the last chunk due to a sprain in his right finger.

But it wasn't just the big three who found themselves on Philadelphia's injury report over the course of the season, as Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, and Andre Drummond were all sidelined down the stretch. All three were brought in last year as veteran depth pieces for Nurse to use when his younger players needed a break. One of their other commonalities, apart from being bench pieces, is that they're all on the older end of the roster, with their median age being 35 years old.

As a result of his veteran figures being out, Sixers' head coach Nick Nurse found himself utilizing all of the depth options he had available, which included among others, Adem Bona, Ricky Council IV, Jared Butler, and Justin Edwards, who started off the season as a member of the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League.

Beyond these players, there were also moves made at the deadline to bring in more youthful options, as Quentin Grimes was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Caleb Martin.

It appears that leaning towards the use of the younger players could be something the Sixers' front office is looking towards in the upcoming offseason, as Daryl Morey addressed the matter in his end-of-season press conference on Sunday afternoon.

"Justin Edwards, Jared McCain, [Adem] Bona, who's had some great minutes here down the stretch. Quinton Grimes, who we got at the trade deadline," explained Morey. "These are all guys, you know, in their prime or well before it into the early parts of their careers that are gonna give us great minutes. It's gonna be a much younger, more dynamic group to help us manage through the season."

Looking at how Philadelphia would look to get younger could be pointed towards the upcoming NBA draft, where they have a top-six protected pick in the first round, along with a single second-round selection. These picks, along with the existing young core, is an area that Morey sees as an area to improve going forward.

"We have above average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season," said Morey. "We have a whole set of younger players, a lot of tools that are arsenal to upgrade the team."

The Sixers will find out the fate of their first-round pick on May 12th, when the NBA Draft Lottery is set to take place.