PHILADELPHIA — For the third consecutive game, Nick Nurse penciled Justin Edwards into the starting lineup Friday night against Denver, an ongoing vote of confidence for the undrafted rookie out of Imhotep.
The 76ers have won Edwards’ first two starts, and he’s contributed significantly in recent weeks. He scored 25 points in the Jan. 14 loss to Oklahoma City, and he’s played 22 or more minutes in each of his last 10 games.
The scoring numbers aren’t electric by and large – he’s had a total of 19 points in his last three outings, shooting 2-for-11 from 3-point range. But he’s provided a boost defensively with his willingness to take on and excel in difficult matchups.
“It means a lot,” Edwards said Friday at shootaround. “It just shows all the work that I’ve put in. I was a little nervous my first game, playing against the Lakers. But I got those little nervous jitters out of the way.”
In 17 appearances, Edwards is averaging 7.2 points and 21 minutes per contest. He’s shooting 32.8 percent from 3-point range. While none of that is eye-popping, his role as a spacer and in helping the 76ers get stops and stay connected on both ends is important.
“He stays ready,” Tyrese Maxey said Wednesday after a win over the Kings, the Sixers’ fourth straight. “He’s played really good as far as making the right decision and the right plays, and he doesn’t let mistakes cloud his mind. If he’s open, he shoots it. If he’s not open, he passes it.”
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One of the primary players Edwards is replacing is Caleb Martin. While Nurse stopped short of declaring a setback with his right hip sprain, Martin did go from listed as questionable Wednesday to missing that game, then being listed as out from the get-go for Friday.
Martin, who played through a bevy of small issues early in the season, is trying to get all the way back, and the hip isn’t healed, hence his 11th straight game on the sidelines.
“Caleb just can’t quite get there to where he feels good enough to be able to change directions and all that stuff with some confidence and with not enough pain at the moment,” Nurse said. “Hopefully we’re inching closer.”
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Andre Drummond is facing a similar battle. The backup center has missed 16 of the last 20 games with a nagging toe injury that the club can’t seem to get all the way healthy. Progress on it seems short-lived.
“It’s just not good,” Nurse said. “It just seems to not be getting good enough. And when we’ve thought it’s been good enough, it’s not really a re-injury but it seems to have a pretty short shelf life.”
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NOTES >> Paul George went through a pre-game workout with his injured left pinkie splinted. He’s day-to-day, with a practice Saturday likely to determine his status moving forward. … Joel Embiid (left knee) likewise is progressing. “I think his knee’s feeling pretty good right now,” Nurse said. “I’m hoping that tomorrow’s on-court session goes as planned, goes ahead and happens, and then I think we’re going to have a really good idea where he is.” The Sixers play the Celtics Sunday night before capping a six-game homestand with another back-to-back starting Tuesday.
Source: Berkshire mont
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