Last season was difficult on everyone involved with the Philadelphia 76ers, from the players to the organization, and especially for the fans, for whom basketball is an escape, and mind you, one that they pay for, not one that pays them.
For their suffering, the Sixers were rewarded with the third pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, with which the organization selected Baylor wing VJ Edgecombe. While there was some criticism of the selection due to the team's stockpile of guards, the early results cannot be denied.
VJ Edgecombe is going to be an electric player in the NBA.
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Edgecombe's leaping ability will remind fans of KJ McDaniels; his functional athleticism is reminiscent of Andre Iguodala—particularly the way he utilizes it as a defender. His confidence may be as high as any Sixer since Allen Iverson. If he can continue to tighten his handle and find a consistent jump shot, particularly from range, the Sixers may have fallen backwards into an elite talent.
After their preseason loss to the New York Knicks, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse praised his rookie, particularly his defensive ability.
"I really liked his defense. Especially, the first half. He's a really good athlete, but he was really causing some havoc. He was getting over screens, he was in passing lanes, he was applying a lot of ball pressure, and he is a really good defender. He's kind of also a good defensive rebounder, and even has a little shot blocking element to his defense as well. But I was just impressed with kind of how he was playing against very experienced, very good players, and took on the challenge. I thought he was good with his physicality and just his quickness."
This is just the latest in a long line of praise Edgcombe has received from his coach and others within the organization.
Sixers' players and coaches believe Edgecombe is a "special talent"
"He’s got a lot of really good qualities," Nurse said at the team's Media Day. "One of the qualities he has is he’s got a really good engine, or gas tank, or whatever you want [to call it]. And that means he’s able to put in a lot of work. A lot of work in a day, come back and do it again, and do it again, and do it again. There’s not much wavering, if any at all in his day-to-day work ethic, right? So that’s a great place to start when you’re a young player."
"VJ’s a special talent," Tyrese Maxey said of Edgecombe. "One of his talents that a lot of people don’t really use is how hard he plays on both ends of the floor, whether that’s offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, guarding the ball, playing in transition. Those are little things that a lot of people don’t do, so I think he’s going to be really good at that. He likes to learn, he wants to get better. The sky is the limit for him."
"Very mature for his age. Very physical," said Kelly Oubre. "He has a good size. He's very athletic, and the sky is beyond the limit for him, because he has a good head on his shoulders, and he has a lot of hunger inside of him. So I'm really looking forward to just flying with him and running these wings, and just being versatile as well. I think that he works very hard as well. So I think that you can't pinpoint his potential. It's kind of through the roof, as long as he keeps his head on his shoulders, he keeps his ego in check because that's a big thing too."
Can VJ Edgecombe live up to that hype? Time will tell, but the early impression is that he's willing to put in the work to reach those heights. At the very least, they have a human highlight reel who will dazzle fans this season and beyond.
