Justin Edwards’ patience pays off with strong performance in Sixers’ win over Brooklyn Nets

About an hour before every 76ers game, Justin Edwards and Adem Bona dip into one of the arena’s secluded rooms for a private chapel service. And whenever the home team’s chaplain asks what they wish to pray for on this particular day, Bona has noticed that Edwards’ answer never changes.

“He says ‘patience,’” Bona said Saturday. “ … He has embodied that.”

Edwards has described his second NBA season as “up-and-down,” because he is not in the regular rotation when the Sixers are healthier. But the 6-foot-7 Philly native is now another player from which his team suddenly needs more minutes — and production —while severely shorthanded. Edwards responded Saturday with one of his best performances of the season, totaling 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, and threesteals in an unexpectedly tight 104-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

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“At the end of the day, this is my dream job,” Edwards said after the game. “And it’s something that I want to do for a long time. [The opportunity] always comes back around, so I’ve got to stay ready, stay patient.”

Edwards’ point total was his highest since tallying 22 against the Boston Celtics in mid-November, largely thanks to a 5-of-6 shooting flurry from three-point range. Saturday against the Nets, he went 9-of-10 from inside the arc, gliding to the basket with ease and seizing chances to get to comfortable midrange jumpers.

Teammate VJ Edgecombe said Edwards was the “reason” the Sixers (36-31) built a 28-point third-quarter advantage. Quentin Grimes added that “an aggressive Justin is a great Justin for us.” And Nurse said that, on the opposite end of the floor, Edwards “led the charge” in a “lights-out” team defensive effort before the Nets stormed back.

The playing time, production, and confidence were reminiscent of this time last year, when the undrafted Edwards was thrust into action as a rookie and impressed enough to have his two-way contract converted to a standard deal. Edwards, a former Imhotep star and five-star recruit, was tasked with guarding opposing All-Stars. Nurse and Edwards’ teammates appreciated his sound decision-making for his age, as well as his smooth jumper and skills.

Last season’s team-wide circumstances were different, of course. Edwards’ insertion into the rotation coincided with the Sixers’ descent into “tank” mode, following a barrage of injuries.

Today, they are clinging to postseason positioning with 15 games remaining. The Sixers will enter Sunday in ninth place in the East standings, with the same record as the Atlanta Hawks’ team that owns the tiebreaker because they swept the regular-season series. Both teams are 1½ games back of the seventh-place Toronto Raptors, and 2½ games ahead of the 10th-place Charlotte Hornets.

As Edwards transitioned into a lesser-used reserve role this season, Nurse continued to reiterate how much he loves Edwards’ game. The coach also recognizes how jarring it can be when Edwards goes from a spot start when the roster is more limited, to not playing for multi-game stretches.

“He kind of understands where he’s at, and he’s always ready to go,” Nurse said of Edwards. “He always wants to play, for sure, but it doesn’t bother him as much. I just think he’s handling it better, and I just keep talking him through it when it happens and just tell him to stay ready. He’s getting primetime action now.”

Even through those mental or emotional dips, Edwards has not wavered from his daily basketball habits.

He has a morning workout routine before practices and shootarounds, taking a cue from All-Star teammate Tyrese Maxey. Edwards prides himself on mimicking game-like scenarios during those sessions, saying, “the same shots I will get in the game [are] the same shots I will shoot in the workouts.”

A new wrinkle this season: He begins every workout by firing a three-pointer from the corner, even before he stretches. It initially was a lighthearted challenge from player development coach Demetris Nichols. But it also holds practical value because, during a game, “I may sit a quarter or two, and I’ve got to hurry up and go in and make that first shot,” Edwards said.

Nurse mentioned Edwards’ recent knack for knocking down a shot seemingly as soon as he enters the game following Monday’s loss at the Cleveland Cavaliers. He highlighted the second-year player (14 points, three assists, two steals) as a Sixer who played well despite the blowout score.

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Then with Kelly Oubre Jr. ruled out for at least two weeks with an elbow sprain — and Paul George still suspended for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy — Edwards moved into the starting lineup for Thursday’s lopsided defeat at the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. Despite taking an early poke to the eye, he totaled 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

Edwards got in an even better rhythm Saturday. Yet after scoring 17 of his 19 points in the first three quarters, the Sixers needed offense to hold off the Nets’ charge. With less than three minutes remaining, Edwards grabbed a rebound, took the ball all the way to the opposite end of the floor, and finished at the rim to give his team a 90-87 advantage.

It was a sequence that illustrated that the patience Edwards prayed for throughout the season is finally beginning to pay off. His opportunity is here — and needed — during the Sixers’ critical stretch run.

“When the right time comes, he goes out there, he does what he does best,” Bona said of Edwards. “He helps the team.”