Instant observations: VJ Edgecombe struggles in Sixers’ loss to Pistons

VJ Edgecombe had a rough outing as the lone Sixers starter available to play, shooting 3/14 in a 131-109 76ers loss to the Detroit Pistons. The usual third-quarter issues were prevalent yet again, with Philadelphia losing its doomsday quarter by 14 points on Thursday night.

Here’s what I saw.

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— Full credit to the undermanned Sixers for playing with real gusto in Detroit on Thursday night. They could have sat down on the floor and quit with most people in the basketball universe watching conference tournament play at the NCAA level, and they did anything but, hanging around long enough to make this an interesting game.

Dominick Barlow’s contributions at center ought to make Nick Nurse reconsider whether Andre Drummond needs to see the floor again this season. With a smaller and more mobile “five” on the floor, the Sixers executed some of their favored defenses much better, turning the Pistons over on some well-played traps against Cade Cunningham that allowed them to swarm questionable decision-makers on the ensuing pass. Barlow was key to that, covering ground from the rim to the three-point line while offering enough resistance on the interior to stop this from becoming a layup line. His ability to put it on the deck and create for himself has been a big asset at times this year, and they needed it more than ever against Detroit, with Barlow even uncorking a rare midrange jumper during a strong second-quarter spurt for the group.

With athletic lineups on the floor for a lot of the night — the periods when they didn’t play a Lowry/Payne backcourt, anyway — the Sixers were moving at warp speed on the break, turning every Pistons miss and turnover into a track meet. Those transition missions weren’t always successful, with Quentin Grimes’ botched layup at the end of the first half creating a five-point swing when Detroit got a Tobias Harris and-one on the other end of the floor, but they definitely benefited more than they suffered from the breakneck pace.

Justin Edwards played his most inspired half of the season to open this game, showing the type of defensive flashes that showed up early last season and faded from view as he stumbled out of the rotation this season. He had a whopping four steals at halftime, two of which came on pressure plays in the backcourt, with Edwards ripping Cade Cunningham near Detroit’s basket for an emphatic slam that prompted him to slap the backboard to celebrate. Edwards had one of his best passing stretches of the season, too, taking advantage of open real estate inside the arc to absorb pressure and hit cutters out of the corners.

Eventually, though, the initial read on how the game would play out turned out to be correct. Jalen Duren was pretty ineffective in the first half and then just kicked their asses up and down the floor to open the third, throwing one down in Dominick Barlow’s face while dominating him on the glass to create a bunch of second-chance possessions. Perhaps they need Drummond after all! Cade Cunningham also picked them apart as a passer, constantly finding the available mismatch when the Sixers sent help to try to stop him.

The same tendencies that have killed them in third quarters all year didn’t magically disappear with reserves in the rotation. Their ability to help off of the opposing team’s best shooter one pass away is genuinely unmatched, with Duncan Robinson absolutely teeing off on the Sixers to open the second half. I have a little more sympathy for the shots coming off of offensive rebounds with how small they were all over the floor, but the early clock breakdowns from cheating away on the strongside wll never sit right with my spirit.

But ultimately, this is just kind of an “oh well” game. They didn’t play a single center and their star rookie played maybe the worst game of his career. Speaking of…

A disastrous VJ Edgecombe performance

VJ Edgecombe had an absolute nightmare of a first half against the Pistons, and I would argue he was the main reason they found themselves in a nine-point hole at halftime. Playing in small lineups with Barlow mostly operating out of the corners to space, the Sixers had plenty of available space to drive into inside the arc. So with various players playing the role of point-of-attack leader, from Quentin Grimes to Cam Payne to even Justin Edwards, Edgecombe got a fair amount of opportunity as a spot-up shooter and second-side attacker. Coming into the game, you would have thought that’d help him out, easing his burden as the lead ballhandler.

But the rookie just could not get anything going, and it felt a bit like he was treating possessions as if he could score five or six points with a single shot, rushing through plays and forcing up some shots instead of feeling things out more. There was a play at the end of the first half where Grimes found him in the corner for a potential catch-and-shoot three or closeout attack, only for Edgecombe to try to leave too early, the ball bouncing harmlessly off his hands for a turnover.

When the Sixers did give him opportunities on the ball, Edgecombe’s handle was as loose as it has been all year, with the Pistons constantly dislodging him when he tried to get downhill and attack the paint. Even if it didn’t always lead to a turnover, these moments forced constant resets of the offense, burying the Sixers in shot clock hell for a lot of Edgecombe-led possessions.

(The other consequence of those struggles is that the Sixers leaned a little harder on on-ball Grimes, and that wasn’t good for anyone, Grimes included. He has an interesting summer ahead, as I don’t think the decision to bet on himself has produced a lot of momentum toward a big future contract.)

Put it this way: Edgecombe had two of his three makes (out of 14 attempts) in garbage time, with Nurse ultimately pulling the plug on his night at 110-85 Detroit. A bad night to play his worst game of the season, but even a good one may have only been enough to keep them afloat for the first half.

Other notes

— Trendon Watford’s overpassing is really starting to get to me. Certainly not as consequential as it was for the max contract No. 1 overall pick who did the same stuff, but woof.

— Pretty good Cam Payne game, just not the 8/8 from three blizzard he dropped on Tuesday.