LAS VEGAS – For the first time since he scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a dominant professional debut in Salt Lake City earlier this month, Sixers No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe took the floor with his Summer Sixers teammates on Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas as they faced the Washington Wizards.
Edgecombe missed four consecutive games with a left thumb sprain he believes he suffered in that game against the Utah Jazz, but was a full participant in the team's practice on Monday afternoon, setting the stage for a late Las Vegas debut.
With all eyes on Edgecombe, the 20-year-old Bahamian struggled to get into any sort of offensive groove early on during Tuesday's game. He missed a few shots on tough bounces, had a pair of rough misses and was likely the victim of two uncalled fouls. Edgecombe's continued aggression was finally rewarded a bit in the third quarter, as he worked tirelessly to assert his will on the game – to varying degrees of success.
Down the stretch of the game Edgecombe was clearly growing more comfortable, and by the final few minutes of the game he was far and away the best player on the floor, spearheading the Sixers' final run to put the game away.
Here is what stood out from Edgecombe's return to the floor, with other Summer Sixers notes after the team's 74-58 win over the Wizards:
Edgecombe emerges
Edgecombe was predictably eased back into the action, and so his first stint only lasted three minutes and change. Edgecombe missed both of his shots during that burst – a tough rim finish attempt and a three-point try – but grabbed an athletic rebound and nabbed a steal.
He returned moments later, with the Summer Sixers in need of an offensive jolt; it took them five minutes to make their first field goal on a three-pointer from Justin Edwards. Edgecombe immediately initiated an aggressive drive to the basket, but was perhaps too reckless. He absorbed contact and threw the ball up, but got no call. Edgecombe was frustrated, which was only exacerbated when he thought he had an open three, appeared to be fouled on a closeout and again did not get a call:
Edgecombe missed all six of his field goal attempts in the first quarter, with four of those misfires coming from beyond the arc. Frankly, he looked a lot like someone who was excited to get back on the floor to a fault. In Salt Lake City, Edgecombe dictated the tempo and overwhelmed the Jazz with his impressive change of speeds. Even when you can outpace your opponent with ease, it is typically best to blend speeds so that top-end mobility really stands out.
While Edgecombe's second stint was much longer, he still could not find much offensive rhythm – at least as a scorer. He missed two more jumpers, and then beautifully slashed through the defense for an easy layup – and still ended up with a miss:
The silver lining of Edgecombe's early scoring and shooting struggles is that they did not discourage him from actively pursuing advantages with the ball. Every time it swung his way, Edgecombe was determined to bend the defense in some capacity, even if it meant opening up a passing lane. Edgecombe collected three assists in the first half, and they all came in a four-possession span. Two of them led to threes, including this shot by Keve Aluma in the corner:
The Summer Sixers only scored nine points in the first quarter, but their strong defense kept it close. Even though Edgecombe also went scoreless in the second quarter, the Sixers got going on offense, with 12 points from Aluma leading them to a 33-30 lead at intermission.
Edgecombe was clearly itching to get in any kind of groove coming out of the half, and aimed for the stars with an ambitious poster dunk that netted him free throws. After officially getting on the board with his first make at the line, Edgecombe's relief was evident:
A few possessions later, Edgecombe darted to the rim and forced a big to foul him in the air once again. He received plenty of encouragement from Adem Bona, who told Edgecombe that the defender would foul out if he kept driving like that. Edgecombe just seemed in-between in a lot of ways, battling the urge to stand out as a top pick while also striving to play team basketball.
The thing is, though, this team has a far better chance of winning when Edgecombe is standing out. So he kept seeking out chances to cause Washington's defense to falter. Finally, he got the ball on the wing with a big defending him on an island. He nearly missed a one-handed dunk, but powered it through for his first basket in Las Vegas:
Even on a night when Edgecombe's athletic prowess was not generating many points, the fact that he can play at a completely different gear than most still stood out quite a bit. Of course, the Salt Lake City game is what happens when that athletic dominance does translate to all sorts of positive-impact plays.
Edgecombe's tremendous movement skills will make him a lethal transition scorer as long as he has teammates looking for him in those situations. His ability to find a slot in the defense and dash to the rim is both innate and impactful, and Justin Edwards found him with a lob to end the third quarter:
Edgecombe's ability to find open seams in transition is almost reminiscent of a heady slot receiver finding a hole in a zone to get open. He seems to have a unique understanding of angles that helps accentuate the athletic tools that make him such a dynamic threat in the open floor. But Edgecombe also has the rare sort of top-end speed that even makes him difficult to keep up with in the half-court, as he showed with a late drive and score out of pick-and-roll:
Edgecombe's final handful of minutes were dazzling, as this spot-up three was the dagger to put away the Wizards after a prolonged stretch of Edgecombe's offensive aggression being rewarded:
While Edgecombe's final line was far from appetizing – particularly in terms of shooting efficiency – his steady aggression despite lackluster results in the early stages of the game was fairly encouraging. Whether they are outstanding, like in Salt Lake City, or underwhelming, like in Las Vegas, results from Summer League games are largely meaningless.
Most of all, it was just encouraging to see Edgecombe in a uniform and not a warmup suit.
MORE: Edgecombe, Jared McCain forming close bond
Odds and ends
Some non-Edgecombe notes from Tuesday's action:
• The Sixers had a crowded party present on Tuesday. Nearly every high-ranking member of the team's front office was in attendance, as was Jared McCain – a mainstay in Las Vegas all week - and Kelly Oubre Jr., the latest member of the team's NBA roster to make an appearance. President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand and multiple other high-ranking team executives were in attendance, too, as was head coach Nick Nurse and managing partner Josh Harris. Sitting in between Morey and Harris was Bob Myers, the former lead executive of the Golden State Warriors now working as an analyst for ESPN. Myers is a trusted confidant for Harris.
• One person not in attendance on Tuesday: two-way big Dominick Barlow. After agreeing to a deal with the Sixers, Barlow asked the team if he could come to Las Vegas and play. He looked a bit out of sorts in his first game – understandable given his lack of familiarity with his coaches and teammates – and was excellent the second time around. That was enough work for Barlow, whose Summer League experience is complete.
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