Justin Edwards: The unexpected rise of Philadelphia's son
Amidst a season that went wrong, Justin Edwards rose to give hope to Philadelphia's faithful, now he has the chance to become part of a team competing for an NBA title
Sometimes things tend to not work out in the way that we want or expect going forward. That is both true in life and basketball as two spaces that exist at the same time.
Justin Edwards felt disappointment when no NBA team decided to take a chance with him by selecting him in the 2024 NBA Draft after a underwhelming freshman season in Kentucky and despite the fact that he was touted as one of the top talents coming off high school a year before.
“Staying positive, I feel like that's the best thing I've learned. Off at Kentucky, I was really negative with myself and that kind of [took] a toll on me mentally. Now, I've learned how to be more patient and positive with myself.”
Making the NBA has been one of the toughest quests in a player's basketball career. The fact that everything has to aligned in order to even get the chance to play, really pushes forward players that are both talented and ready to commit to anything to achieve their goal.
“Going undrafted, I didn't think of it as a setback. It was just how my life has always been, really. I've always been coming from behind. It was just another wall that I had to get over.”
That said, Edwards was offered a two-way contract from his hometown Sixers and was called to prove that he belongs in the league. And as it was expected the explosive forward did not disappoint.
The championship hunt season became a retooling year
In a sense, the Philadelphia 76ers had to go through their own disaster year in order to repurpose their team. A team blotted with NBA veterans, the 76ers struggled to remain healthy and forced to a losing season after adding Paul George and boosting their championship aspirations during the 2024 offseason.
With no superstars available like Embiid, George and even Maxey after a point getting injured, Philadelphia decided to put young players at the forefront. This was just what Edwards needed to showcase his toughness, grittyness and ability to become a two-way force.
Listening to the voice of his mother
If there is person that should get credit for Edwards strong-willed demeanor, then we must refer to his mother. Ebony Twiggs admitted that Edwards was a difficult kid.
He was tend to spread chaos getting into fights with other students early in his life. However, things changed once he decided to play basketball allowing him to spread the same chaos on the floor.
Growing up with a single mother, Edwards had to watch Ms. Twiggs working two jobs to keep a family of four afloat. For a good portion of his school life, Twiggs was unable to attend her son's games.
However, things were going well for Edwards on the floor receiving a ton of accolades, while playing for the Imhotep Institute, a high school in the city of Philadelphia. He was so good that the legendary John Callipari was aggressively recruiting him to bring him in Kentucky.
Under pressure
His lone season in Kentucky found the once high-octane forward in a different situation where he had to shine as part of a very talented team. Edwards started slow but had an efficient finish to his season. However, the high expectations he created as a high-schooler made his performance less impressive to the NBA scouts. That said, he still announced that he would become available in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Going undrafted was a huge blow but Edwards remained poised to play in the NBA. He accepted a two-way deal with his hometown franchise and became a part of the team's youth movement by averaging 10.1 points on 45.5-percent shooting (36.3% 3FG), 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 26.3 minutes played in 44 games with the Sixers.
This offseason he signed a long-term deal with the franchise after his excellent performances during the final part of the season.
Edwards remains a polished scorer, but he has shown potential of becoming an excellent 3&D wing that can boost a title chaser, like the 76ers.
In his statements during the offseason, he said that he focuses on the task to dunk over opponents more. Providing a hint that he will likely be more aggressive in the paint as one of the most athletic wings in the Sixers roster.
“I always had the mentality of just trying to dunk on everybody, and I feel like I went away from that,” Edwards said after confirming his future with the 76ers.
“That's one of the things that I'm trying to focus on is [getting] more explosive, so I can be able to try to dunk on guys this year.”
Edwards has another chance to climb the NBA ranks this season after his strong finish in the 2024-25 campaign. It remains to be seen if he can help the Philadelphia franchise to achieve its goals going forward.