The Resurgence of VJ Edgecombe

When VJ Edgecombe was selected with the third overall pick in this year’s draft, expectations were high. The young, high-flying guard was sought out to be the necessary addition to rejuvenate the team from last season’s mishaps.

In the first game of the year, Edgecombe went out and gave the fans what they asked for with a 34-point debut. It was the most points scored by a rookie in their career debut in Philadelphia history, and the third most in NBA history.

Vibes were high, fans were excited, and the Sixers looked like a brand new team.

Edgecombe followed up his emphatic debut with a defensive masterclass in game two, and another impressive scoring performance in game three, where he dropped 26.

Since then, the Bahamian has slowed down.

After his 26-point game on October 27th, Edgecombe was only able to score over 18 points in just one of the next 17 games. The hype from the preseason and his early-season showings had died down, and Rookie of the Year chants and talks lessened as Cooper Flagg, Cedric Coward, Derik Queen, and Kon Knueppel soared their way to the top of the ranks.

Additionally, the Sixers stopped winning.

Philadelphia won six of their first six games, including a four-game win streak to open out the season, but after Edgecombe slowed down, the team looked more like last year’s team. The 76ers won just five of their next 13.

But as of late, Edgecombe has turned things up — and so have the Sixers.

Philly has won six out of their past eight games, and Edgecombe has scored at least 22 points in his past four games. The recipe for winning seems to be getting the guard going offensively.

Joel Embiid‘s time as Philadelphia’s leader is behind us, and Edgecombe is taking over behind him, alongside Tyrese Maxey. Maxey and Edgecombe have complemented each other with ease, and the guard duo is among the best backcourts in the NBA.

The addition of Edgecombe in the backcourt has also been huge due to the quietness of Jared McCain. McCain was last season’s Edgecombe, dropping 20 night after night and leading an injured 76ers team in scoring while Maxey and Embiid were out. While the present looked dim, the future of the guard play was bright, and McCain seemed to be next in line to start alongside Maxey for years to come. Unfortunately, McCain dealt with a knee injury that kept him out of the second half of the season, and a thumb injury kept him out of the beginning of this season. If not for McCain’s injury at the beginning of this season, Edgecombe wouldn’t have had the chance to dominate early in the year and show Philly what he could do. Since the Bahamian has been starting, McCain has averaged just 7, 2, and 2 per game while shooting just 35% from the field. Edgecombe has filled in for McCain with ease and has kept the backcourt competitive.

The youth movement in Philadelphia is off to a fantastic start, and Edgecombe’s resurgence from his dominant beginning has moved the 76ers to a competitive spot in the East. There aren’t many teams in the conference that can hang with Maxey and Edgecombe on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, and they have put Philly in a spot to succeed. With the mid-season mark approaching, Edgecombe has begun to solidify himself and the 76ers as a legitimate threat.

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