LAS VEGAS -- No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe has yet to play in a game since the Summer Sixers arrived in Las Vegas, but he has been around a whole lot. As Edgecombe works his way back from a thumb sprain, the cameras have been focused on him. But just about every shot of Edgecombe features another figure.
So, it was only fitting that Edgecombe's media availability on Saturday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center was a joint session alongside the person constantly by his side: Jared McCain, whose recovery from a torn meniscus has also prevented him from playing in Summer League action. McCain is still spending considerable time around the Summer Sixers, and the organization is thrilled about it.
"I think that's awesome. He's growing into a leader," Summer Sixers head coach T.J. DiLeo said after Saturday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets. "He's around. Guys see him around, and this is -- we want this to kind of mirror, represent the Sixers organization for these young guys who are [in their] first time in it. And you see that type of stuff, it's awesome. That's what we want. We want that type of culture of inclusivity and having guys around and being all together and all for each other and encouraging each other. So it's been awesome to have Jared around right now."
McCain has been around for every member of the Summer Sixers. But his particularly strong bond with Edgecombe has quickly become undeniable.
"I knew him before this," Edgecombe said. "Just a great person to be around. Always happy."
Before anyone could ask how McCain and Edgecombe knew each other, the No. 16 overall pick in last year's draft chimed in.
"He should have went to Duke," McCain said. "I took him on his visit and showed him a great time. I don't know what happened with that. But getting to know him through this whole process, great kid, great person. I'm excited to play with him."
As the Sixers' short-term outlook becomes murkier with every Joel Embiid injury update (or non-update), McCain, 21, and Edgecombe, 20, are perhaps the two strongest examples of what the organization believes is a bright future. It also just so happens that their skill sets are a perfect match in an NBA backcourt. McCain is a crafty ball-handler with elite shooting touch, while Edgecombe is a ridiculous athlete and has the chance to be a special point-of-attack defender early in his career as he develops as an on-ball scorer and creator.
McCain and Edgecombe are two of the most enticing guard prospects in the NBA. The former quickly became the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award before suffering his season-ending injury, and the latter was a consensus top-five prospect among the upcoming crop of rookies.
And yet, there is a good chance that when Sixers head coach Nick Nurse submits his first starting lineup of the 2025-26 regular season, McCain and Edgecombe will both be omitted.
The Sixers have continued to make investments in young guard talent despite the team's best young player being Tyrese Maxey, the 24-year-old former All-Star set to enter his sixth NBA campaign. The team has work to do to retain 25-year-old restricted free agent Quentin Grimes, whose superior track record and clean fit with Maxey make him the likeliest option to start at shooting guard -- assuming he eventually re-signs with the team.
"I do think in our best version of our team, if we can get Quentin back, all four of those guys will be playing pretty heavy minutes," Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said on Friday. "Coach Nurse will have to use creativity to figure out how to best utilize them."
But even Morey admitted that, at most, only three of those four players will be able to play at a time. Starting jobs and closing roles cannot be provided for all of them.
In other words: there will be healthy competition.
"That's what we live for," McCain said. "It's how we got to our position. Whatever it is, we're all going to play, we're all going to have fun playing, and I'm just excited to get out there with these guys -- and anybody who is on our team."
If the Sixers are anything remotely close to the idealized version of themselves next year, it could be the exact ideal environment for Edgecombe specifically to tap into his immediate strengths and have his weaknesses masked. The Sixers would not need him to do much scoring or shot creation; his focus could be on the simple areas where he is already solid or better: spot-up shooting, defensive playmaking and transition scoring. But Edgecombe believes his perceived weaknesses are actually areas where he can help.Regardless, rookie guards should not have to be thrown into the fire the way McCain was -- despite the fact that he massively outperformed expectations. Maxey spent much of his rookie year on the fringes of the rotation. In his second year, he stepped into a starting role at a position he had never played on a full-time basis and took off. As they say, the rest is history.
Maxey's perspective on all of this will be valuable for McCain and Edgecombe when they inevitably feel as if they are not being maximized.
"We've got to push each other, every single day," Maxey said on Friday. "That's the only way we're going to be good together... We've all got to be willing to sacrifice for each other."
Injury updates
• McCain called his recovery process "great" and said that while he is disappointed to not be on the floor in Summer League, there was no reason to rush his way back onto the court. He is clearly antsy to get back on the floor, and all indications are that he is on track to be ready for training camp.
• Edgecombe missed his fourth straight Summer League contest with a thumb sprain -- killing some of the buzz generated by his outstanding debut in Salt Lake City -- but there is some optimism that he could return not just in Las Vegas, but as soon as the Sixers' next game, a battle against No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Edgecombe said he remains unsure exactly when and how the injury occurred, other than that it was during that game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
"I'm itching to get on the court after my first game," Edgecombe said, "probably because we lost."
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