Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe was not a fan of college basketball, but all the reasons he disliked it are the same ones that will help him succeed in the NBA. He’ll have all the space he needs to work in the NBA, and 76ers fans should be thrilled to hear about his ideal play style.
“What about — like, I was telling them — the difference you notice when you make that jump from college to the NBA?” Edgecombe said on Podcast P with Paul George. “The spacing you get, the flow that’s better, the pace is faster. What was that difference like for you? VJ Edgecombe: So, remember I played with the Bahamas team? Yeah — so I was already in some space, kind of playing in professional-type spacing.
“College though? I hated college basketball, personally. Some people love it — I don’t. Because I was also dealing with two centers — two bigs — sitting in the paint. I’m trying to get to the cup, and it was bad. I’m like, “Bro, I got no space to operate.” And then you can sit in the paint — you know what I’m saying? There’s no three-second rule. Nothing.”
VJ Edgecombe should be a problem in the NBA
Based on his own statement, Edgecombe likes to play in a flow. He wants to run, keep the ball moving, and make plays for himself (and others) without the offense getting stagnant.
Though Joel Embiid’s play style alone is enough to slow down the Sixers’ pace of play, but the rest of their lineup should be great for the way Edgecombe wants to play. Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and him are more than capable of keeping the 76ers up and running.
As for the rest of his collegiate complaints, those should get fixed in the NBA, too. The two-center lineups his wasn’t a fan of should disappear, for the most part.
When Embiid is healthy, he’ll almost certainly be the only big man on the floor. The same goes for when Andre Drummond or Adem Bona take up that spot. (Unless Nick Nurse tries some weird combinations.) The existence of the three-second rule will help, too.
Plus, the additional floor spacing that NBA lineups, and the Sixers, in particular, have will free up a ton of space for Edgecombe to work.
At his best, Edgecombe should be a lethal on-ball creator with the ability to get downhill at a moment’s notice. And off the ball, he’ll be able to run in transition, spot up from three, and act as a great secondary creator within Philadelphia’s offense.
Based on everything he told George about the way he wants to play offense, the NBA is going to suit Edgecombe perfectly. And 76ers fans should be very excited about that.