Through their first four games, the Philadelphia 76ers have turned heads with their surprisingly fiery showings night in and out. Following their latest comeback win over the Wizards, the team now has a clean 4-0 win-loss card, tied for second-best in the entire association at this early juncture. While it is way too early for this standing to be reflective of their entire outlook for the season, it is nevertheless a positive sign of things to come.
Two of their opponents were cellar dwellers from last season and one was missing its best player due to a season-ending injury, but the 76ers did their job by defeating the opponents they were supposed to beat. And making their record more impressive is the fact that they did it without Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, and despite Joel Embiid being on a strict minutes restriction.
Part and parcel of their early success this season is the electric play from their backcourt led by All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey. But not far behind him is rookie VJ Edgecombe who, after a historic debut as a freshman, has sustained his level of play and then some.
Edgecombe has quickly emerged as a foundational piece for the franchise with his standout, all-around performances. He has already gone beyond what the scouting report on him stated before the draft, entrenching himself as the best rookie from his draft class thus far.
The 76ers nearly missed out on VJ Edgecombe due to Daryl Morey
However, as people might have already forgotten, the 76ers actually came close to missing out on Edgecombe entirely. As soon as the team got lucky during this year’s draft lottery, there were already chatters about the front office exploring the possibility of trading down or out of the draft. Obviously, that did not come to fruition, but it was certainly in the cards.
For those who might have forgotten, the 76ers were basically selecting between Edgecombe and Ace Bailey, while also considering other prospects such as Tre Johnson and Khaman Maluach. And given the state of affairs with the team at that time, trading their third overall pick had some sensible justifications to it.
Thankfully, the 76ers stood pat before and during the draft, exercising utmost restraint and avoiding getting too cute with their selection. The Bailey possibility remained strong when they were on the clock, but at that point, it was already close to a foregone conclusion that the front office would be drafting Edgecombe.
Given how he’s looked thus far, one can safely say that the 76ers made the right choice and dodged what would have been a pretty deadly mistake. VJ Edgecombe is the best rookie thus far, and it is difficult to envision that fact changing anytime soon.