Sixers vs. Magic Play-in Preview
Amidst this up-and-down 76ers season, Philly will need to stay on the upside to get past the Magic, but will VJ Maxx’s elite play be enough to lift this team past Orlando without Joel Embiid?
Against the Orlando Magic, the question for this up and down Sixers team will be if they can block enough shots and get enough steals to get into the playoffs, and if they can do it without Joel Embiid.
The 76ers certainly have the pieces as Tyrese Maxey’s insane point production (scored 20+ over sixty times this season) combined with his Asante Samuel-esque ball-hawking abilities are enough to carry this team to a victory on any given night, and lately the other Sixers starters and role players have been pulling their weight.
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Paul George’s energy and veteran presence has been a welcome surprise (4th in the NBA in deflections per game), Andre Drummond is an exceptional rebounder (3rd in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage with 14.5%) and has massively improved his three-point shooting, Kelly Oubre Jr. has the length and athleticism to lock down defenders (3rd in the NBA in deflections per game) and can hit threes as well as be a dangerous driver, and Adem Bona has been an absolute block machine and is averaging the 18th-most blocks per game in the NBA despite averaging just 17 minutes per contest.
And meanwhile rookie superstar sensation V.J. Edgecombe has been nothing short of electrifying this season, as he’s proven he can score from anywhere on the court with ease, use his elite length and vert to swat shots away into the stands, and is already one of the most exciting high-flying dunkers the NBA has to offer.
In addition to putting up highlight-reel dunks like this every game:
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Edgecombe also had 149 threes in his rookie year, the second-most 3PM by a Sixers rookie, trailing Allen Iverson by only six made threes.
He also accrued steals and blocks with ease, proving his willingness, determination, and talent on both ends of the floor and showing he is truly already almost a complete player in just his first season.
In his rookie year, VJ led the league in loose balls recovered per game with 1.1 and ranked:
- 3rd in rookie PPG (16.0)
- 5th in double doubles among rookies (7)
- Tied for 15th in the NBA in steals per game (1.4)
- 31st among all guards in assists per game (4.2)
But the engine that drives this team is undoubtedly Tyrese Maxey. He is the Shamrock Shake to the 76ers’ March menu. He is the house inspector to Philly’s accepted offer on a new home. He is the cream cheese on the Sixers’ bagel – and the bagel itself.
Must be the red shoes 👠 🤷🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/QvDvDQc8SC
— Vote The Process (@VoteTheProcess) April 13, 2026
When Maxey is hot, he is impossible to stop and lifts the play of the entire roster like an elite quarterback lifts an entire franchise. His bag seems infinite, as he can whip out a crossover or spin move to shake a defender out of their shoes with ease, while still maintaining the body control to hit tough, contested shots from mind-blowing angles.
In 2025-2026, Maxey ranked 5th in the NBA in PPG and:
- 3rd in fast-break points per game
- 4th in FGM while shooting 46%
- 5th in STL
- 6th in VORP (value over replacement player)
- 11th in 3PM while shooting 36%
- 15th in AST
Maxey can essentially cover the entire court on his best nights – or at least he does his best to as evidenced by the fact that he led the NBA in distance run per game and ranked third in fast-break points per game.
Paul George vs Wizards bagwork 👀 pic.twitter.com/WSIzMlMsjH
— Vote The Process (@VoteTheProcess) April 2, 2026
Paul George has been resurgent and his shot is clearly back (28th in the NBA in 3PM and 42nd in 3P% with 39.2), and he along with a few other surprising Sixers might give you some Philly hopium as their play has led to (some) of these key matchup stats:
Sixers/Magic Matchup Stats (leader listed first):
PPG: 76ers – 14th (115.9) | Magic – 15th (115.7)
FG%: Magic – 21st (46.6) | 76ers – 23rd (46.2)
REB: 76ers – 17th (43.6) | Magic – 19th (43.4)
STL: 76ers – 6th (9.1) | Magic – 17th (8.5)
BLK: 76ers – 4th (5.7) | Magic – 17th (4.7)
They say defense wins championships, and while Philadelphia and Orlando are neck and neck in most critical stats, the Sixers possess a significant advantage in the steal and block department as they out-rank the Magic by at least 11 spots in both stats and it shows up on the eye test during Philly’s best wins.
In fact, the 76ers actually have four players that rank inside the top-50 in blocks per game as Adem Bona, Tyrese Maxey, Andre Drummond, and Dominick Barlow all average at least 0.8 BLK.
The Magic on the other hand only have one player on their roster who averages top-50 blocks per game in Goga Bitadze.
But the bottom line is if the rest of this Sixers squad can handle their assignments on defense and shoot well enough to at least threaten the opposition, Tyrese Maxey’s scoring combined with this team’s Iverson-like penchant for steals should be enough to get by the Magic and into the playoffs.
#ballhawk pic.twitter.com/as8qeA1qaB
— Vote The Process (@VoteTheProcess) March 20, 2026
After all, Maxey is tied for the most single-game steals this season with eight, and honestly if Maxey gets eight fucking steals then the Sixers will definitely win this game.
If they make it that far then who knows… Embiid might be healthy and Paul George might be even more resurgent… anything’s possible like a GM’s wife having a burner account that takes down the entire franchise.
