Nothing came easy for VJ Edgecombe on his path to the NBA.
After the Philadelphia 76ers drafted him third overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Bahamian-born guard spoke openly about how difficult his childhood was. That kind of hardship is often an obstacle and can crush a dream, but Edgecombe used it as fuel to achieve his dreams.
Philadelphia used its first lottery pick in seven years on the 6’5 guard, taking a bet that his toughness, motor, and two-way potential will mesh perfectly with the team’s two timelines–win-now with Joel Embiid and Paul George as well as in the long-term with Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.
The 19-year-old is coming into a pressure packed situation with a Sixers team that underachieved mightily last season, yet if the early indications from his summer league showings are any indication, he should be more than ready for the challenges that await him at Philadelphia.
Edgecombe made a statement in his NBA Summer League debut two weeks ago in Salt Lake City, posting 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks against the Utah Jazz where his speed and athleticism were on full display. Unfortunately, a sore thumb sidelined him for the rest of the Sixers’ games at Salt Lake City as well as their first two in Las Vegas, but the brief hiatus did little to cool his momentum.
When he returned against the Washington Wizards, Edgecombe put on a resilient performance that spoke volumes about his character. He was scoreless at halftime before pouring in all 15 of his points after the break. In addition, he tallied six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
The blend of length, lateral quickness, and nonstop energy of Edgecombe a defensive terror at Baylor, where he set a program freshman record with 68 steals. In his lone collegiate season, he averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 44% from the field and a respectable 34 percent on three-pointers. Those numbers hint that he could become a prototypical modern wing in the NBA, providing Philadelphia with a two-way force in the backcourt for many years to come.
The Sixers are likely to deploy Edgecombe as the lead defender against opposing guards, taking pressure off Maxey and McCain, and igniting transition opportunities with his knack for deflections. Offensively, the blueprint for him is clear: knock down open threes, attack when Embiid or Maxey draw in the defense, and keep the ball moving. If his jumper can become a reliable weapon, the Sixers may have finally found the shooting guard that they have been chasing since The Process began over a decade ago.
Edgecombe is still only 19, so it will likely take him some time to adapt to the speed and physicality of the NBA game. Yet after everything he’s overcome to get here—and with everything that he has flashed in the summer league—it seems all but inevitable that he will carve out a successful career in the league. Philadelphia did not enter last season expecting to come out of it with a lottery pick, though their timing could not have been more perfect. With Edgecombe now onboard, the Sixers’ future is beginning to look like a bright one once again.
