The 
Philadelphia 76ers are off to a surprisingly electric start. This franchise entered the 2025-26 season with a talented roster that was coming off a disappointing year due to individual underperformances and injuries.
Joel Embiid and Paul George played just 15 games together last season, while Tyrese Maxey was only available for 52 contests, all resulting in a 24-58 campaign for a preseason title contender.
The bright side of that disappointing season was that the 76ers were fortunate enough to land the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. And right now, Philadelphia’s selection, V.J. Edgecombe has been the most impressive rookie through six games.
In fact, thte former Baylor standout and Tyrese Maxey have been so good this early into the season that they’ve already won over Stephen A. Smith as the best backcourt in the NBA for a myriad of reasons.
Stephen A. Smith is a huge believer in the Philadelphia 76ers’ backcourt
The Philadelphia 76ers currently sit at 5-1 and first in the Eastern Conference. That is despite Paul George not making his season debut yet, and Joel Embiid looking like a shell of his former self.
Nick Nurse’s team, which is averaging 125.7 points per game, is led by its newest backcourt. Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe worked so well together immediately that they combined for 186 points through the first three games of the season, making them the highest-scoring duo to that point since 1970.
While the two of them have cooled off a little bit since, the 76ers certainly have their backcourt for the next decade to build around.
|
Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe 2025-26 Stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Category |
Tyrese Maxey |
V.J. Edgecombe |
|
Points per game |
33.7 |
20.3 |
|
Assists per game |
9.0 |
5.0 |
|
Rebounds per game |
4.8 |
5.0 |
|
Steals per game |
1.2 |
1.5 |
|
Blocks per game |
0.8 |
0.3 |
Stephen A. Smith, however, is confident that this pairing is already among the elite duos in the NBA. In a recent segment on ESPN’s First Take, Smith gave a detailed explanation for why he believes the 76ers might have the best backcourt right now and how they can become a title contender in his eyes.
“I walked into the season, believing that Daryl Morey had a couple of months, then after that, he probably would be out of a job. I watched Tyrese Maxey, who’s a stud, with that brother, VJ Edgecombe, in the Delaware area, Philadelphia, everywhere; these brothers are box office. And I’m telling you something right now. If not this year, by the end of next season, I believe there’s a legitimate argument that we will be saying that the Philadelphia 76ers have the best backcourt in the entire National Basketball Association. And I’m going to go this far…God help the basketball world if these two brothers keep looking the way they look, and a miracle happens and Joel Embiid gets healthy. Lord has mercy. Embiid healthy, with those brothers, they can contend for the title.”
The Philadelphia 76ers’ future has been reshaped by their star guards
The Philadelphia 76ers seemed to be in desolate shape a few weeks ago. The franchise’s two premier stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George, have two of the most unmovable contracts in the league.
And, at this stage of their careers, neither of these two future Hall of Famers have been healthy enough for the 76ers to heavily rely on them as the two primary options for a championship contender.
However, with the emergence of Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe, perhaps, Embiid and George only need to play supporting cast roles for this roster to make a playoff run.
Stephen A. Smith certainly thinks that is a possibility, but the question is, can the 76ers’ backcourt somewhat maintain this All-NBA level throughout the course of the regular season and postseason?
The Eastern Conference, on paper, feels more open than usual. The preseason favorites are the 
New York Knicks and 
Cleveland Cavaliers, but neither of those teams are considered to be untouchable.
Meanwhile, dark horse teams like the 
Atlanta Hawks and 
Orlando Magic are off to uneven starts, considering their expectations.
Overall, is Smith overreacting at this point in the season? Yes. But the early signs are encouraging, especially for V.J. Edgecombe at this stage of his development.
While Embiid and George’s contracts will be hard to move anytime soon, the future still should be bright in the City of Brotherly Love.
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