Valdez ‘VJ’ Edgecombe has hit 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, DeAndre Ayton had his first 20-point 10-rebound game in two weeks, and Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield has returned to the bench, but is still logging significant minutes for the Golden State Warriors.
It’s safe to say the Bahamian trio are making substantial contributions to their teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) this season.
All three were in action on Sunday.
Edgecombe, the 20-year-old sensational rookie guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, matched the second-best scoring effort in his brief career as he had 26 points, and added six rebounds, two assists and a block in 39 minutes of action against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. The Sixers lost that game, 120-117, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Edgecombe shot 9-for-21 from the field and was 4-for-10 from three-point range. The game before that, Edgecombe had 22 points, four rebounds and five assists, in a 115-105 win for the Sixers over the Indiana Pacers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He now has back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career, and five 20-point games for the season.
Edgecombe is averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 42.1 from the field and 38.8 percent from three-point range. He has started 22 of 22 games played for the Sixers this season.
Ayton was dominant on Sunday. He had 20 points, missing just one shot from the field. The 27-year-old starting center of the Los Angeles Lakers had one of his more efficient outings of the season, shooting 10-for11 from the field, and he added 13 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. It was his eighth 20-point, 10-rebound game of the season, already more than he had for the entire 2024-2025 NBA season. The Lakers won that game, 116-114, over the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday.
Ayton has three double-doubles in his last four games, and 11 for the season.
Ayton continues to rank second in the league in field goal percentage, shooting a career-high 71 percent from the field. He is first among players with at least 200 field goal attempts. Rudy Gobert, of the Minnesota Timberwolves, leads the way at 74.5 percent from the field.
Ayton is shooting 70.9 percent from the field this month, coming off a month in which he hit 76.1 percent of his shots. The Bahamian big man is averaging 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Lakers this season. He has started 23 of 23 games played.
After starting three games, Hield returned to the bench for the Warriors. He logged 16 minutes on Sunday and scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field, 2-for-5 from deep. The Warriors lost that game, 136-131, to the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Hield, a 32-year-old veteran guard, is averaging 8.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 41.2 from the field and 31.5 percent from three-point range, in predominantly a reserve role for the Warriors this season.
Hield has improved his shooting as the season goes along. He now has at least one three-point shot in seven straight games, and is shooting 33.3 percent from distance in December as opposed to just 28.6 percent from downtown in October, and 31.7 percent in November.
All three Bahamian stars are on a mini break due to the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Championship game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs this evening.
Ayton and the Lakers will be back in action Thursday, taking on the Utah Jazz at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. That game will get underway at 9 p.m.
Hield and the Warriors will also be in action on Thursday, taking on the Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. That game will start at 9 p.m.
Edgecombe and the Sixers will challenge the Knicks on Friday. That game will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, getting underway at 7 p.m.
The trio will play again, in separate games, on Saturday.
The Sixers have a 14-11 win/loss record — tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The Lakers are tied for fourth in the west at 18-7, and the Warriors are eighth at 13-14.