March 23, 2025
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Quentin Grimes has done more than just put the ball in the basket during his stellar month of March.
Welcome back to Sunday stats, where we dive into the numbers that tell the stories of the Sixers. This week, we have a fresh batch of notes on three players who every Sixers fan hopes will be back next season, plus some data on the Sixers' recent "failures" to close out games:
The number of consecutive games in which Quentin Grimes has nabbed multiple steals in addition to 25-plus points.
As everyone knows by now, since joining the Sixers the 24-year-old Grimes has turned into a lethal three-level scorer, one of the NBA's leading scorers this month as he bolsters his stock before becoming a restricted free agent in the summer. Grimes, who was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in an attempt to add a young player with strong chops as a perimeter defender and spot-up three-point shooter, has proven to be so much more:
After rewatching it, I think Quentin Grimes' 30-point night in Minnesota might have been more impressive than his 44-point game vs. GSW, just because he had to create so much on his own. I uploaded a bunch of encouraging clips to @SixersAdamClips, here's a supercut of those: pic.twitter.com/1CNc1dpsdE
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) March 6, 2025
But, clearly, Grimes has not forgotten his roots as a defensive playmaker. And it is quite impressive that, while expending so much energy as an offensive engine, he still finds opportunities to make his presence felt by nabbing quite a few steals. Here are some of his best of late, which include timely gambles, uses of quick hands and simple effort plays:
Quentin Grimes has scored 25-points in seven consecutive games, but he has also notched at least two steals in each of those contests.
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 23, 2025
Some of Grimes' best takeaways lately: pic.twitter.com/7IUuV6Bn6w
Grimes' overall stats in March are astonishing: 28.2 points, 5.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc (8.5 three-point attempts per game), good for a terrific 63.7 true shooting percentage.
MORE: One team could stand in the way of Sixers keeping Grimes
The number of days since Guerschon Yabusele's last 20-plus-point game before he scored 23 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
It has not been much of a secret that Yabusele has been running on fumes for significant chunks of the last month-plus, and the Sixers have tried to keep his minutes modest as the season nears its end. But as the team's only healthy big right now, Yabusele has been forced into a featured role again. He submitted his best performance in nearly two months on Friday in San Antonio, torching a depleted Spurs frontcourt inside to the tune of 23 points on 11-for-13 shooting inside the arc:
Guerschon Yabusele played his best game in nearly two months in the Sixers' loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night:
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 23, 2025
23 points
11-16 FG
9 rebounds
5 assists
A few of Yabusele's buckets, all of which came inside the arc: pic.twitter.com/ErDoBL2khw
The reason Yabusele's two-point shooting line is relevant is that the 29-year-old missed all three of his long-range attempts in this game, but still became an offensive force. That has not exactly been the norm for Yabusele, whose ability to space the floor has been at the center of his offensive value for the Sixers.
Before Friday's game, Yabusele had scored at least 15 points on 17 separate occasions. In only one of those games did he not knock down at least one triple; in only two of those games did he knock down only one three-pointer. Despite his size and strength, Yabusele's scoring impact will always start from the outside and work its way closer to the basket. His performance on Friday was anomalous to some degree.
Justin Edwards' points per game over his last three contests.
Edwards, whose 66.6 true shooting percentage in this same span indicates marvelous efficiency, has truly been a threat to score at all three levels of late. He has knocked down 10 triples during these three games, and his quick trigger continues to stand out. But Edwards is rounding out his offensive game now. And with the ability to play with such tremendous freedom offensively has come the opportunity to experiment and fine-tune his arsenal. Now, Edwards is putting together complete games as a scorer with all sorts of different methods of attack.
A diverse collection of enticing Edwards baskets over the last three games:
Justin Edwards in his last three games:
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 23, 2025
62 points
10 three-pointers
66.6 TS%
A compilation of 10 Edwards baskets during this span, from quick-trigger spot-up shooting to self-created scoring and more: pic.twitter.com/h2O1Mw2vkJ
Edwards began to operate with more comfort as a scorer around the beginning of March, and his confidence in putting the ball on the floor and hunting his shot is clearly growing with every passing game. Watching him realize he is capable of more in real-time is reminiscent of watching fellow Sixers rookie Jared McCain go through the same process last November. McCain would continue to chip away at it, flashing an impressive ability one time and eventually doing it a few times before establishing that it was a reliable facet of his scoring repertoire.
MORE: Edwards is guarding the NBA's best players, and 'he's not backing down at all'
The Sixers' Net Rating (point differential per 100 possessions) in the fourth quarters of games in March.
The Sixers still know how to tank. And with recent late-game collapses in Houston and San Antonio, they have been able to experience the most ideal games for the long-term health of the organization: key young players impress with strong showings, but an eventual loss strengthens the team's chance of keeping its top-six protected first-round pick.
In fact, this month the Sixers have on average gotten worse with every quarter:
| Quarter | Net Rating | NBA rank |
| 1st | -2.4 | 16th |
| 2nd | -6.0 | 23rd |
| 3rd | -6.5 | 18th |
| 4th | -20.9 | 29th |
It should not be lost on folks how frustrating this likely is for the players themselves, who are competitive, prideful and uninterested in draft pick protections and ping pong balls. But it is impossible to debate that piling up losses at the end of this disastrous season is in the best long-term interest of the Sixers.
The Sixers are on the verge of completing a marathon-like six-game road trip, with a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday nights with games against the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans.
MORE: What's next for Paul George, Sixers after disappointing debut season?
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