The Philadelphia 76ers have quickly emerged as one of the biggest winners out of the 2025 NBA Draft, with VJ Edgecombe swiftly commanding a lot of attention with his dazzling play in the Summer League. The Baylor product put up 28 points in his debut, showcasing his uncanny scoring ability from all three levels.
Edgecombe appears to be slated to be a star rather quickly, but of course, in typical Philadelphia fashion, the basketball gods just weren’t having it with such a rousing development, at least for now. The star rookie has not played since his Summer League debut due to a left thumb sprain, and with the 76ers exercising a world of caution with him, they are not going to force the issue just to trot him out in a rather meaningless Summer League game.
Now, thumb injuries are nowhere near serious enough to warrant immediate long-term concern, but this one tends to recur. The 76ers have him on a day-to-day status for now, but it is more prudent to allow him to fully heal before engaging in another ball game.
76ers injury curse is alive and kicking with VJ Edgecombe as the latest victim
There is no team in the league whcih curently has a more extensive injury history than Philadelphia (although teams like New Orleans can lay a claim to that unenviable throne). Between Joel Embiid being a near-guarantee to never get back to 100 percent capacity again to Paul George being Embiid’s spiritual successor in that regard and Tyrese Maxey also showing some recurring minor injuries last season, the 76ers are definitely a hotspot for the injury bug.
Oh, even Jared McCain missed nearly the entire season in the previous campaign due to a torn meniscus. The injury bug is not forgiving, even to rookies.
Now, Edgecombe will most likely not get hampered by this thumb injury to a considerable extent anytime soon, but again, the team cannot take any chances. If need be, they should even double down on their current conservative stance with the rookie and shut him down before training camp to allow him to get to 100 percent playing shape once the preseason action begins.
With respect to injuries, the Philadelphia 76ers have seen it all. Hence, with VJ Edgecombe being on the receiving end this time, they should be wiser now to tackle this minor issue and prevent it from further advancing into a recurring one.