The Sixers’ offseason has already featured its share of headline-grabbing moves, with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James among the names they’ve added. But Philadelphia’s push for impact didn’t stop with the roster.
On August 22, Phil Handy joined the Sixers’ coaching staff as an assistant, according to multiple reports. The Athletic reported that the 76ers were hiring Handy as an assistant head coach, and league sources confirmed it to the outlet.
MarcJSpears was first to report the move. Handy arrives with a reputation that travels well around the league: a skill development specialist with 14 years of NBA staff experience and a long relationship with LeBron James.
That matters for a team with a young core that still has room to grow. Handy has spent his career helping players sharpen the details that separate good from dangerous, and the Sixers have several players who fit that mold.
V.J. Edgecombe is one of them.
His rookie season checked a lot of boxes - 16 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, third in Rookie of the Year voting, and a steady late-game presence for Philadelphia. Still, the next step is obvious enough.
His handle can get shaky when defenders pick up the pace, and live-ball turnovers showed up when he was rushed into bad passes or had the ball knocked free. He finished with just 1.8 giveaways, so this isn’t about fixing a disaster.
It’s about turning flashes into a bigger offensive engine.
Handy has been in this lane before. His coaching career started with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013-14 as director of player development and later assistant coach, and there he helped Kyrie Irving sharpen his handle and develop into one of the league’s premier isolation scorers. Irving averaged 3.2 turnovers per game in 2012-13 before Handy arrived, then that number gradually fell to 2.3 by 2015-16.
Edgecombe doesn’t need to become Kyrie Irving. But if Handy can help him clean up the ball-handling and create more advantages, that’s a real swing for Philadelphia.
Dominick Barlow is another name that fits the Handy profile. Barlow was one of the more encouraging surprises on the roster, starting 59 of 71 games and averaging 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds.
The Sixers rewarded him by converting his two-way deal to a standard contract on February 5. His issue was clear, though: 25.6% shooting from three-point range kept him from holding onto his starting job in the playoffs.
That’s where Handy’s history with Rui Hachimura stands out. During Handy’s five years as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, Hachimura went from a career 36% three-point shooter when he arrived in Los Angeles midway through 2022-23 to above 41% from deep in each of his three full seasons with the Lakers.
Barlow has already started reworking his shooting release after an elbow injury last season, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice. He also benefits from playing next to a group of creators, which should help his accuracy from the outside. Handy’s presence only strengthens that development path.
And really, this is the point: Handy can help just about anyone on the roster, but the biggest gains figure to come from the younger players. Labaron Philon Jr. is trying to win a spot in a crowded rotation, and continued growth as a ball-handler will be part of that process. Justin Edwards, meanwhile, is looking to improve across the board as a two-way forward, and Handy has worked with Kawhi Leonard.
For a team already carrying plenty of offseason buzz, Handy’s arrival gives the Sixers another reason to be interested in what comes next at training camp.
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Edgecombes answer was simple enough: he plans to stay aggressive offensively no matter how the minutes or shot chances break down. That mindset matters for Philadelphia, which is expected to manage his usage and lineup fits carefully so he can contribute alongside the stars instead of disappearing next to them. For a young player trying to prove he belongs, the challenge now is less about role anxiety and more about making sure his confidence travels with the changing roster around him. [Read more 🡒]