Sixers consider starting Quentin Grimes; VJ Edgecombe embracing rigors of NBA season

After a great start to the season, Quentin Grimes found himself in contention for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

But he’s been inconsistent as of late, and the 76ers are trying to get the guard back on track.

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“I think we really thought that he was a much better player off the bench,” coach Nick Nurse said. “That he liked to see the game a little bit and come in and play. And I think we’re having some discussions lately, that maybe that’s not the case, and maybe we’ll start sticking him back into the starting lineup a little bit to see if that helps.”

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound shooting guard may have broken out of a recent slump in Tuesday’s 116-110 setback to the Phoenix Suns at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Grimes scored 12 points on 3-for-7 shooting, adding five assists and three steals. However, down six points with 17.1 seconds remaining, he blew a layup, ending the Sixers’ comeback attempt. He also surrendered three turnovers.

Entering Tuesday’s games, Grimes averaged 10.4 points on 42.9% shooting — including making just 31.0% on three-pointers in his last nine contests.

“I really need him to attack the rim more,” Nurse said. “He’s good at it in the open floor and just a little bit more decisive when he’s coming up the floor to make a play in the paint, and then also to pull the three-balls. Make sure he has the confidence to continue to take those. I think the light is green and getting greener, not the other way around, and just play with great confidence.”

With 38 NBA games under his belt, VJ Edgecombe has already played in five more games than he did during his lone season at Baylor. Yet the Sixers (23-19) still have 40 games remaining, meaning the rookie could play in 78 contests — more than double his total in college.

How is the 6-5 shooting guard handling the NBA grind?

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“I’ll be honest, I’m embracing it,” he said. “I’m one of the few rookies who can say I’m playing 30 minutes. You know, that’s the blessing. Just once I’m on the floor, I just got to be productive. I gotta not try to win every possession.”

Heading into Thursday’s games, Edgecombe is sixth in the league in minutes at 35.8 per game, trailing teammate Tyrese Maxey (39.5), Houston Rockets stars Amen Thompson (37.2) and Kevin Durant (36.6), Los Angeles Laker guard Luka Doncic (36.3), and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (36.0).

He is 11th in the league in steals (1.7) while also averaging 15.8 points and 4.2 assists.

Edgecombe most recently posted a team-high 25 points while logging 36 minutes, 45 seconds in Tuesday’s loss to the Suns. The 20-year-old scored 11 points in 35:18 in Monday’s victory over the Indiana Pacers.

“I’m good with the back-to-backs now,” Edgecombe said while laughing. “My first back-to-back, I wasn’t. I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t. But now I’m fine with it now. It’s still a lot. It’s still NBA games in two days.

“It’s a toll on your body, but I’m young, and I’m grateful that I’ve got a healthy body where I can go up and down the floor. So yeah, I’m just taking it game by game, regardless if it’s back-to-back or not, just try to be the same person.”

The Sixers have only two games left in which Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow can both be active without the team making a roster move. That’s because the squad has only four total games available to players on two-way contracts, since it has fewer than 15 players on standard NBA contracts.

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The Sixers could sign Barlow, the starting power forward, or Walker, his backup, to a standard deal to avoid this restriction. They could also opt to sign a player to a 10-day contract. That would temporarily halt the under-15 penalty. And the Sixers could sit the two-way players, but they both have vital roles with the team.

If nothing is done, the Sixers’ two-way players will be unable to play in NBA games following Saturday’s home game against the New York Knicks.

Joel Embiid (right ankle injury recovery) is listed as probable to play in Thursday night’s game against the Rockets (26-15) at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Meanwhile, Paul George (left knee injury management) is questionable.

Houston will be without Steven Adams (sprained left ankle) and Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair) while Aaron Holiday (back spasms) is questionable.