The Philadelphia 76ers will be entering the 2025-26 season with a lot of uncertainty on their end. Having said that, the franchise should also be excited to approach the upcoming campaign head-on thanks to the team having a handful of gifts waiting to be fully unpacked a few months from now.
One of those presents is rookie guard VJ Edgecombe, who has made a lot of fans hopeful about the team’s long-term outlook. However, the Baylor product has shown so much promise that people should also be looking forward to his immediate impact for the 76ers next season, especially since he is expected to have a major role right off the bat.
The third overall pick did not see as much action in the Summer League as many hoped for due to a nagging thumb injury, but he did make his limited appearances count, averaging 21.5 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and 1.5 blocks per outing in a couple of outings.
Before the 76ers erred on the side of caution with his thumb, Edgecombe definitely showed why he was picked third in the 2025 NBA Draft and was widely reckoned as one of the most NBA-ready prospects in this year’s draft class.
VJ Edgecombe shows of a much improved pull-up game for the 76ers
Edgecombe was known as a talented scorer who has an uncanny ability to make the most of his athleticism to get in position and hoist up tough shots, but there were initial concerns about his ability to knock down shots on a consistent basis from the perimeter.
True enough, Edgecombe drained just around 15 percent of his triples. While two games is too small of a sample size to make a definitive call on shooting, those concerns are valid at the very least.
However, there is definitely a workable area in that regard thanks to his pull-up jumper. In just two games, he took 14 pull-up shots, and while he canned just five of them, he showed that he can generate rhythm when there is ordinarily none — a daunting skill to harness for even the most prolific perimeter gunners.
As such, the future is bright for Edgecombe as a potential marksman for the 76ers in addition to being a three-level scorer. To kick things off, Philadelphia would most likely try to showcase him as an off-ball threat, and developing his jumper would be perfect to fill that role while also building a strong base in the future when he is ready to be a primary or secondary option.
The Philadelphia 76ers are expecting great things from VJ Edgecombe moving forward, and the best part is that he has the tools to do those immediately next season.