There’s no Jalen he can’t guard and nothing the defense can give him that he won’t take.
After dropping a team-high 25 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Justin Edwards would not touch the ball for his first two minutes of game time the next night against the New York Knicks. That touch was an assist to a cutting Jeff Dowtin Jr.
Off a screen from Guerschon Yabusele, he drove past his defender, got two feet into the paint, and handed the ball off once he had occupied the help defender. It was the right play. Coach Nick Nurse has kept Edwards — an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract — on the court because of these plays.
“He’s got a good feel offensively,” Nurse said after the OKC game. “The ball finds him because he’s moving to the right place at the right time…I thought he drove when he was supposed to, I thought he got off of it when he was supposed to for the most part.”
After averaging just 12 minutes per contest in his first eight NBA games, Edwards played over 35 minutes in his last two. They were games on back-to-back nights against two contenders. On the first night, against OKC with no Paul George or Tyrese Maxey, he showed off the offensive skillset that had him ranked as the third best highschooler in the country a few years ago. Against the Knicks, in a more limited role alongside George and Maxey, he showed how malleable he is alongside stars.
His effectiveness doesn’t reduce next to better players, nor does his play take away from theirs.
Over those two games, Edwards shot 6-of-13 from three. All but one of those shots were catch-and-shoot attempts. But even the pull-up shot (which he made) was in the flow of the offense, presenting itself to him in a pick-and-roll with the defender in drop.
Due to this outside shot, defenders closed out hard against him, and he capitalized. Watch how quickly he made the right pass after getting by the defender (great defenders in fact, he goes by OG Anunoby and Lu Dort!) in the first two clips below. Neither led to an assist (one would’ve if Bona held onto the pass) but both trumped the defense, putting it in scramble mode.
If no pass presented itself, Edwards deployed his size and scoring touch. He’s shown the ability to patiently let a play develop while keeping his dribble alive and shooting over the (usually smaller) defender.
These plays make lineups with Edwards very hard to scheme against. Nurse closed the Knicks game in the fourth quarter and OT with Edwards, Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., George, and Yabusele — a jumbo small-ball lineup: one small guard, three big wings, one small big. Nowhere for a poor and undersized defender, like Brunson, to hide. Thibodeau tried putting his point guard on Edwards but, Edwards cooked when given the chance.
Because they respect his three-pointer (37% season, 6/13 over the last two games), defenders close out hard on him.
He is great at attacking those closeouts and getting the ball moving, putting his team at an offensive advantage.
And, when he has to, he uses his 6-foot-6 frame to shoot or finish.
If Edward’s jumper stays this efficient, I think he would beat out Caleb Martin as the fifth closer. He just has more in the bag offensively, and his defense, though not perfect, has looked up to NBA standard.
In these back-to-backs, Nurse trusted Edwards to defend OKC’s 6-foot-6 forward Jalen Williams’ and New York’s 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson. Both Jalen’s are shifty players but present different defensive challenges. Edwards valiantly met them. He can move his feet and turn his hips quickly allowing him to mirror crossovers and keep in front of the ball handler. He lets the attacker drive into his 6-foot-8 frame and is well-disciplined, keeping his hands up to contest the shot and unquestionably away from any whistleable contact on the attacker’s arm or hand.
In the first clip below, Williams attempted a streetball moves barrage against Edwards, hitting the rookie with two behind-the-back dribbles, one crossover, and one spin. None faltered Edwards, who forced a pick-up and made Williams pass out. When Williams received the ball again, he sent the same attack. Heem, heem. Shake, spin. Edwards stayed attached as Williams faded. The shot went in, but replay that 10 times and it doesn’t in nine of them.
Against New York, Edwards spent most of the second half bothering the braids off Brunson. Other than picking him up full court, Edwards would slide through screens and not bite on the bait that usually follies many of Brunson’s defenders. (Edwards did fall for it once in his first defensive possession, but never again).
That size and speed is effective on defense too.
Nurse deployed him against Jalen Williams and Jalen Brunson.
Edwards gets those feet moving and hips swinging, allowing him to stay in front of the shifty and nifty Jalens.
He guides attackers into his chest and is disciplined, keeping his arms up
When Edwards did falter, it was largely due to his feet and over-anticipating. There were multiple instances where he would hit the screener before he had to, giving up a lane to the rim that Brunson happily drove through.
The over-anticipation plagued him off the ball too. There were multiple times he’d step into a passing lane before he had to, allowing his assignment to cut behind him right to the rim. There were two particularly brutal instances in clutch time against the Knicks. With ninety seconds to go, Edwards lost OG Anunoby, stepping out to the break as the former Raptor moved to the corner and hit the open three. In the first possession of overtime, Edwards stepped in to help on a Brunson drive, then tried to deflect the pass to the corner, but missed, allowing OG to open OT scoring with a drive and layup.
One nitpick on his defense: He over-anticipates on screens and off-ball.
In the first two clips below, he steps into the screen before he has to, giving up a lane to the rim.
In the others, he steps into passing lanes before he has to, giving up cuts and open threes.
Edwards is another feather in the one cap the Sixers’ brass can proudly wear this season: finding great players that other franchises passed on: Jared McCain, Guerschon Yabusele, and him.
Although a few may dream of a tanking season where we let those three cook (if McCain wasn’t out for the season), the Sixers are likely to compete. They have stars and stakes. They have to go for it. Regardless of the direction they go, Edwards should be there with them.