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CAMDEN, N.J. -- The history of the NBA is littered with giants. Players who stand tall such as Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon who anchored championship teams. When looking at title teams of the past, they all have had a dominant big man.
Very rarely has there been a championship team led by a smaller guard. However, when looking at what the New York Knicks are doing right now led by 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson, it offers up hope for the Philadelphia 76ers as they lean on 6-foot-2 Tyrese Maxey and 6-foot-4 VJ Edgecombe.
Maxey and Edgecombe are phenomenal guards as they both are able to do some incredible things on the basketball court, but there is always the concern of a team being led by "smaller guards" being able to win championships. Sixers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jameer Nelson, a small guard himself, gave his thoughts on that notion.
"The main thing I'll say is, and I've never looked at it personally as like I have to prove people wrong, because I know who I am," said the 6-foot Nelson who was an All-Star and part of the Orlando Magic making the finals in 2009. "I know how to accomplish my goals, or at least try, and we get measured by height and length, but people don't measure this (heart), and those two (Maxey and Edgecombe), they have that, and they have the will to learn. That's important."
Maxey was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2025-26 after averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. He threw the Sixers on his back on numerous occasions, and yet, he was still asking questions to fulfill his thirst to be better and improve. That's something that stands out to Nelson. That's a championship quality that will be important as time moves on.
"Like, Tyrese is on the All-NBA team, and still asks questions about how do you do this and how do you do that," he added. "He's one of the top 15 players in the league. So, I think his ability to be coachable, his ability to lead and do things in a way where he doesn't see himself as this superstar, right?"
On top of the mental side of things, both Maxey and Edgecombe have shown on the court that they can be the duo that leads Philadelphia deep into the playoffs. Of course, Joel Embiid and Paul George are still around, but the Sixers are going to lean on the smaller backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe to get the job done on the floor. Nelson and Co. are confident in the young guards.
"The most important thing is, like, he has--they both have it--they both have this big heart where they want the ball at the end of games," Nelson finished. "They want to guard. Like, if Tyrese is on a certain matchup, he wants to try to stop that guy, right? And VJ, for a rookie, I think he displayed a lot, and it's a lot more room to grow for him, and he will grow because of his personality and his work ethic."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers discuss whether smaller guards can lead to a championship
Continue reading...
Very rarely has there been a championship team led by a smaller guard. However, when looking at what the New York Knicks are doing right now led by 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson, it offers up hope for the Philadelphia 76ers as they lean on 6-foot-2 Tyrese Maxey and 6-foot-4 VJ Edgecombe.
Maxey and Edgecombe are phenomenal guards as they both are able to do some incredible things on the basketball court, but there is always the concern of a team being led by "smaller guards" being able to win championships. Sixers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jameer Nelson, a small guard himself, gave his thoughts on that notion.
"The main thing I'll say is, and I've never looked at it personally as like I have to prove people wrong, because I know who I am," said the 6-foot Nelson who was an All-Star and part of the Orlando Magic making the finals in 2009. "I know how to accomplish my goals, or at least try, and we get measured by height and length, but people don't measure this (heart), and those two (Maxey and Edgecombe), they have that, and they have the will to learn. That's important."
Maxey was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2025-26 after averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. He threw the Sixers on his back on numerous occasions, and yet, he was still asking questions to fulfill his thirst to be better and improve. That's something that stands out to Nelson. That's a championship quality that will be important as time moves on.
"Like, Tyrese is on the All-NBA team, and still asks questions about how do you do this and how do you do that," he added. "He's one of the top 15 players in the league. So, I think his ability to be coachable, his ability to lead and do things in a way where he doesn't see himself as this superstar, right?"
On top of the mental side of things, both Maxey and Edgecombe have shown on the court that they can be the duo that leads Philadelphia deep into the playoffs. Of course, Joel Embiid and Paul George are still around, but the Sixers are going to lean on the smaller backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe to get the job done on the floor. Nelson and Co. are confident in the young guards.
"The most important thing is, like, he has--they both have it--they both have this big heart where they want the ball at the end of games," Nelson finished. "They want to guard. Like, if Tyrese is on a certain matchup, he wants to try to stop that guy, right? And VJ, for a rookie, I think he displayed a lot, and it's a lot more room to grow for him, and he will grow because of his personality and his work ethic."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers discuss whether smaller guards can lead to a championship
Continue reading...
