The 2024-25 Sixers have made the wrong kind of history. But they have officially put themselves in the record books.
When the Sixers announced their starting lineup of Quentin Grimes, Lonnie Walker IV, Ricky Council IV, Justin Edwards and Adem Bona before Tuesday night’s game against the New York Knicks, it became official: they have broken the record for most unique starting units by a team in any season. With their 52nd separate starting five of the season, the Sixers broke the record of 51 set by last season’s Memphis Grizzlies.
A look at those 52 lineups:
History has been made: with their 52nd unique starting lineup of the season, the 2024-25 Sixers have set the NBA record for most starting fives in an NBA season, breaking the record held by the 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies.
Here is a look at each of the Sixers’ 52 starting fives: pic.twitter.com/I0IN7MYCid
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) April 1, 2025
Surely, this is not the record the Sixers hoped to break when they entered a season in which the goal was to be serious championship contenders. But, as head coach Nick Nurse spoke about regretfully at the end of March, the injury bug never stopped biting this team.
It began before the regular season was even underway. Joel Embiid’s mysterious left knee injury situation prevented him from beginning his season on time, while his new co-star Paul George was similarly sidelined due to a more traditional injury in his own left knee. Neither of the Sixers’ highest-paid players made it through the season healthy, combining to play only 60 games before being shut down for the remainder of 2024-25.
But the truth is only one key contributor on this team has made it from October to April without a significant absence. Guerschon Yabusele appeared in the first 39 games of the season, but even he has battled with constant knee issues of his own dating back to February. Kelly Oubre Jr. had been the team’s most consistently available player for months until suffering a knee sprain which has taken him out of action for multiple weeks.
Elsewhere, it has been a complete bloodbath. Tyrese Maxey is in the midst of his second lengthy absence of the season, this one becoming one of the longest of his basketball life. KJ Martin and Caleb Martin were both sidelined for multiple weeks with injuries that led up to each being traded away. Andre Drummond suffered a toe sprain on Dec. 23 and has barely played since; each time he has returned the issue has reappeared quickly. Kyle Lowry is set to make April return from a hip injury that has forced him to miss the majority of the season dating, back to a five-game absence in November. Eric Gordon (wrist) and Jared McCain (meniscus) suffered season-ending injuries, with McCain’s tear halting a season that had him as the clear frontrunner to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
All of this has not just forced the Sixers to field inferior talent, but also players who have never been able to establish even a semblance of continuity. There is truly no other record they could have set that would better encapsulate what this season devolved into.
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