The Philadelphia 76ers have been middling since their hot start to the season, but that is probably to be expected. After all, the team remains riddled with injuries, and even rookie VJ Edgecombe was not safe from it. He was held out of their previous game against the Heat, which ended up in a loss, due to a calf issue, and it seems like he will be missing another contest at the very least.
Following the latest injury report, Edgecombe will once again not be hitting the floor for the 76ers, this time against the Magic. The rookie apparently suffered the injury during their recent contest against the Bucks, and fortunately, the imaging reportedly came out clean. Head coach Nick Nurse said that they decided to sit Edgecombe out as a matter of precaution.
Sure, the rookie managed to dodge a bullet, but this is probably a glimpse of what the 76ers can expect if they continue to extract too much out of their rookie. So far, the coaching staff has been very trigger-happy when it comes to his minutes — something that will have to change in the near future whether they like it or not.
The 76ers should stop playing VJ Edgecombe so many minutes
Edgecombe is registering 37.4 minutes per game — good for second among all players and only bested by Tyrese Maxey, who is playing over 40 minutes a night. No rookies has averaged that many minutes since Damian Lillard in 2012-13, where he normed 38.6 minutes per outing.
The 76ers, however, do not have a very compelling reason for giving such voluminous minutes to Edgecombe. Now that the team has Jared McCain and the ever-reliable Quentin Grimes, it is high time for the coaching staff to seriously consider cutting Edgecombe’s minutes toward the 28 to 32 range.
Given Edgecombe’s play style, his lower extremities are more susceptible to sprains and bruises, and the one that he is currently dealing with is especially troublesome when left unmanaged. Calf issues have been a source of fear and anxiety among many teams this season. Just look at Victor Wembanyama who, despite a very mild case of calf strain, was immediately held out of action by the Spurs out of extreme precaution.
Prevention is better than cure, and the 76ers have every reason to exercise more prudence with Edgecombe. After all, the team has the necessary talent to absorb the prospect of him getting lesser minutes.
Hopefully, Nick Nurse and his staff will become more conservative when it comes to managing Edgecombe’s minutes. So far, that disposition has been completely MIA, and that can no longer be the case moving forward, lest they risk having these kinds of injury threats.