Heading into their preseason finale against the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers initially planned to roll out their projected starting five just days away from opening night.
They almost had it. While the Sixers had Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, and LeBron James suited up and on the court at the start of Friday’s game, the veteran VJ Edgecombe was not a part of the action. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse revealed beforehand that Edgecombe was getting a night off. Fortunately, the head coach confirmed that an injury is not in the way.
According to Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Nurse cited an “intense” week of practice and three preseason performances from Edgecombe as more than enough for the sophomore guard.
The Sixers have seen enough
It has to be nice when a second-year guard doesn’t have anything to prove during the offseason. While Edgecombe has been performing up to a high-level standard as he should, being a former No. 3 pick, the Sixers certainly must feel validated lately.
Last season, they needed Edgecombe to get preseason action as he needed to ramp up before a high-pressure rookie year. He ended up playing in 75 games, starting each matchup, while garnering an average of 35.0 minutes per game.
Offensively, Edgecombe shot 43.8% from the field and hit on 35.4% of his threes. He produced an average of 16.0 points per game, along with dishing out 4.2 assists per game. Defensively, Edgecombe came down with an average of 5.6 rebounds and snatched up 1.4 steals per game. Although Edgecombe didn’t get the Rookie of the Year crown, he came third in the voting.
Going into the 2026-2027 NBA season, many wondered if Edgecombe was looking at a possible regression due to the state of the team. The Sixers added two more All-Stars to the mix—bringing on ball-dominant players such as Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. More of that might take away chances from Edgecombe, but the former Baylor star continues to show the team that he’s going to stand out no matter what.
With Edgecombe’s preseason concluding with three performances, he officially averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in matchups against the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and the Boston Celtics. That Nets matchup ended up being the only game with the entire starting five together in the preseason. Since Edgecombe’s a healthy scratch on Friday, Edgecombe should be good to go for Tuesday’s action against the New York Knicks.
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