Turns out, the Philadelphia 76ers actually know what they were doing back in late June when they made the decision to go with VJ Edgecombe as the third overall pick. As everyone can recall, many actually wanted the franchise to go with sheer promise and select Ace Bailey out of Rutgers — a move that they should be grateful for not making.
With the season slowly getting closer to its halfway mark, we can probably safely brand their decision as the rightful one. Edgecombe, after all, has swiftly emerged as one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the NBA, even managing to assert himself as a focal point for a 76ers team littered with star power and tenureship.
On the flip side, Bailey has been kind of a mixed bag for his ball club. The Jazz are flying under the radar given their mediocre campaign so far, which has also contributed to their rookie not getting the ideal training grounds he might have hoped for to launch his NBA career.
The 76ers did the right thing drafting VJ Edgecombe and not listening to the outside noise
Aside from people wanting the 76ers to pick Bailey over Edgecombe, a considerable number of pundits also begged the team to seriously consider trading their pick which, in hindsight, was undoubtedly a ludicrous proposition.
Now, the 76ers at least have someone they can build around in the future alongside Tyrese Maxey. Edgecombe has all the makings and stylings of a perennial All-Star. From his three-level scoring and improved court sense to his defense and intangibles, the franchise could not have asked for a better prospect to usher in a new era of 76ers basketball.
Thankfully, the front office made the decision to let the process keep brewing despite the down year. After all, following a disastrous campaign, they could have doubled down on wanting to go all-in for a bounce-back season by mortgaging their future for a win-now piece. Instead, in drafting Edgecombe, they managed to hit two birds with one stone as they now have a formidable squad that can compete now and in the foreseeable future.
Bailey may indeed have the higher ceiling, and the competition may be too steep for the 76ers to actually win a title, but those are mere conjectures that cannot defeat the indisputable fact that the franchise are much better off with VJ Edgecombe until proven otherwise.