Sixers are fully healthy for a stretch run. Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers look good, too

It’s never fashionable to be optimistic about sports in Philadelphia, but at this moment, convention be damned.

It’s been maybe 16 years since all four Philadelphia teams provided as much near-future hope as they provided in a 24-hour period between Wednesday night and Thursday night.

The Sixers won, then the Eagles got great news, then the Phillies won, then the Flyers won. Hurrah.

I understand the reluctance to embrace this wellspring of positivity, and I realize that everything could go south with the next twinge in Joel Embiid‘s knee. But hope springs eternal, and it’s only been a week since spring has sprung, so enjoy the warmth of the weather and the moment.

» READ MORE: Hitting coach Kevin Long and manager Rob Thomson take too much heat for the Phillies’ shortcomings

Nothing happened Friday, so Philly entered the weekend on an unaccustomed high.

On Wednesday, the Sixers beat the Bulls by 20. They scored 157 points, their most in 56 years. They did it without their best player, Tyrese Maxey.

The Flyers beat the Blackhawks and did it without their best, or at least their most important player, Dan Vladař.

The Sixers went first, and best. Granted, the Bulls are 14 games under .500, but Paul George, in his return from a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s antidrug policy, looked like he’s 25, not 35, for one game at least. Embiid seemed to realize his limitations, in that he didn’t play like a freshman trying to make varsity.

More than anything, though, rookie VJ Edgecombe, the franchise’s most exciting true rookie since Allen Iverson, took his latest step forward. In his last four games — all without Maxey and the first three without Embiid and George — Edgecombe averaged 29.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He shot 54.8% from the floor and hit 48.4% of his three-pointers.

Considering the abysmal state of the Eastern Conference — Detroit’s Cade Cunningham is injured, the Celtics are flawed, the Knicks are a mirage, and the Cavaliers have James Harden — a fully fortified Sixers lineup can beat almost anyone.

Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. also returned Saturday.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse was so happy about the previous and imminent returns that he actually smiled after Friday’s practice.

“I’m certainly more optimistic now,” said Nurse, who considers the recent dependency on reserves as building depth that otherwise would not exist. “If you add all those things up — other guys getting valuable growth, and these guys coming back — the sum of all of that together could be pretty good.”

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Edgecombe might wear down, but the other four starters should be fresh.

“Definitely got some good rest,” said Maxey, who leads the league at 38.3 minutes per game.

Again, with this assemblage of vanity and fragility, anything can happen. The Sixers are scheduled to visit the surging Hornets on Saturday and the dangerous Heat on Monday, which will provide a better sense of where this team is right now.

The Eagles struggled last season mainly because of injuries along their offensive line, the best unit during their 13-year run of relevance. Early Friday afternoon, news broke that Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens was saying the stem cell treatments on his back were already working.

» READ MORE: Eagles center Cam Jurgens details extent of past back injuries: ‘I don’t know how I was playing’

Left guard Landon Dickerson, who went to three straight Pro Bowls before last season, also had stem cell therapy on his knees and ankles.

Right tackle Lane Johnson last week told the Fitz & Whit podcast that the sprained foot that ended his season in mid-November is fully recovered.

All this means that the Eagles will be better. Period.

On Thursday evening, the Phillies beat the Rangers on opening day, and they did it without their best player, Zack Wheeler.

Cy Young Award runner-up Cristopher Sánchez, who signed a $107 million extension last week, pitched like it.

Kyle Schwarber hit a home run for the third time in five opening days since joining the Phillies.

Justin Crawford had two hits in his big-league debut in front of his father, Carl, a former All-Star.

» READ MORE: Justin Crawford delights his dad Carl and showed the Phillies the weapon they might have in the nine-hole

There’s more.

Wheeler, who had a rib removed to address thoracic outlet syndrome, was scheduled to begin a 30-day rehab stint on Saturday — 60 days early.

Last year’s cleanup hitter, Alec Bohm, batting cleanup on opening day, hit a three-run homer, a few weeks after Bryce Harper opened spring training by ripping last year’s cleanup hitters. Bohm did this on the day news broke that he’s suing his own parents for ripping him off.

» READ MORE: The Phillies’ Alec Bohm sues his parents, alleging they mismanaged his finances

Andrew Painter, who lost two seasons to elbow surgery then stunk in triple A in 2025, gave up just three runs in four starts in spring training. He’s scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the visiting Nationals.

The Flyers are 10-3-1 in their last 14 games. With 82 points they’re unlikely to make the playoffs — they trail the last wild-card spot by five points and have to get past three teams — but they’re playing very good hockey, and with 11 games to play, they could reach the 90-point mark for the first time since 2018. Second-year talent Matvei Michkov has matured. Vladař and veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen are under contract through next season.

And it might be next season before the Flyers really matter.

However, for the rest of the teams, the time is now.

Right now.