After the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Jaylen Brown and signed LeBron James, there was a lot of talk about how much the situation could affect VJ Edgecombe's development after an impressive debut campaign.
There is an argument that could be made that Edgecombe's growth could be stunted because his usage will drop even lower, as the Sixers add two more All-Stars to the starting five that already included Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
But then there's the other side. The side that reminds teams there are multiple players on the court they'll have to throw double teams at when the iron is hot. And who are they going to leave open? Edgecombe knows it's likely him, as he recently told reporters that he has to make defenses respect his shooting range in 2026-2027. But there's no ego in this case. Edgecombe wouldn't feel slighted--more like delighted.
Leave him open if you dare
“It’s fine if they don’t respect me, I’ll just get a bunch of open shots,” Edgecombe told The Philadelphia Inquirer this week. “I’m just working. That’s the main thing for me. That comes with work. Whatever I want I got to work for it. I’m willing to do that.”
When Edgecombe entered the NBA as the No. 3 pick out of Baylor, he left the NCAA as a solid scorer, averaging 15.0 points per game during his freshman season. Taking 4.6 threes per game, Edgecombe averaged 34.0% from deep. Decent, but certainly had room for improvement.
When Edgecombe entered the Sixers' starting lineup for all 75 of his rookie appearances, he shot slightly better from deep. Taking 5.6 attempts per game, Edgecombe hit his threes at a 35.4% clip. He averaged 16.0 points per game.
He's not quite in sharpshooter territory yet, but Edgecombe isn't the type of player that defenses would be wise to leave wide open next season. He's been too consistent and could realistically be a much bigger threat than anybody can imagine.
With one year of full-time starting experience, there won't be too many "welcome to the NBA" moments or surprises next year. And while his touches may go down, Edgecombe will surely benefit from garnering knowledge from two seasoned forwards in LeBron and Brown. In addition, LeBron brings a high IQ and will be recognized as Philly's best passer/playmaker next year.
If Edgecombe had a star-caliber season playing alongside Tyrese Maxey, you can bet that LeBron could help set him up to reach new levels.
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