This feeling surrounding this upcoming Sixers’ season is one of great anticipation. Sure, most of that has to do with the monumental additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, but I’d argue that no small part of that excitement should be for the second season of VJ Edgecombe.
Here in Philadelphia, expectations are always set high, even for the youngest of players… but frankly, expectations for the 21-year-old guard _should_ be sky high. The 2025 No. 3 overall pick showed numerous glimpses of absolute star quality in his rookie season, from high flying dunks to impressive athletics to brilliantly clutch buckets in the biggest moments — and everything in between. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game across 75 appearances (all starts), playing a whopping 2623.3 minutes in the regular season, the 11th most in the entire association. He finished third behind Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel for Rookie of the Year.
Edgecombe has displayed skill, game intelligence and athleticism notably beyond his years. To put it simply, he was able to do things on an NBA floor that very few 20-year-olds are able to accomplish, even against some of the league’s biggest stars and teams.
I see no reason why the same shouldn’t be true again this season — if anything, it should be even _more_ true.
There has been a strange speculation that, somehow, playing alongside one of the greatest basketball players of all time in LeBron James and with another top league star in Jaylen Brown will stunt Edgecombe’s development. I, personally, vehemently disagree, so much so that I’ve already **[written all about that here](/76ers-analysis/97004/vj-edgecombe-development-philadelphia-sixers-lebron-james-tyrese-maxey-joel-embiid-jaylen-brown)**, with some of the points of that article being reflected here as well. My bottom line of that piece was that, in reality, Edgecombe’s opportunity for development in year two only looks _more_ promising now than it did a few months ago.
With the new-look Sixers lineup, Edgecombe should have plenty of room to do what he does best as an off-ball scorer, cutting through opposing defenses and finding the open space for catch-and-shoot buckets. It would be fair to anticipate a lot of open spaces for him to roam, too, when you consider that any of the other four members of the starting five could garner a double-team at any time. It would be great to see Edgecombe use that opportunity to solidify his catch-and-shoot numbers as well as his spot-up shooting, things that he was good at in year one but could be a little erratic with in terms of consistent accuracy. If you can rely on his jumper on a consistent basis, you have one hell of an off-ball weapon in him.
I also personally cannot wait to see the development of the LeBron to Edgecombe alley-oop, I must say.
Overall, I just don’t buy this idea that he won’t get any usage with this new lineup. If anything, maybe the new lineup means getting the kid a break here and there and not needing him 36 minutes per night for the entirety of the season, allowing him to be an even better version of himself when he is on the floor. It’s also worth noting that the initial five is not the only lineup Edgecombe will find himself in. I would imagine that Nick Nurse will often look to his young star to lead the second unit as the older guys are rotated out for rest. It’s in those times that Edgecombe will find plenty of opportunity to work on things like his ball handling and passing skills, and the other skills he might not be relied upon for with the starting unit.
And the best case scenario (and expected outcome at this point) is that all of this culminates in a season resulting in Edgecombe getting more, deeper experience in the NBA postseason. The playoffs were an up-and-down experience for VJ in his rookie year — as they were for the Sixers overall last season — but he managed to still show his capabilities on the biggest stages. His best effort was a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double in a first round, Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics, numbers that hadn’t been notched by a rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 and becoming the youngest player to do so in league postseason history. Not bad for his first go.
So, all in all, it seems like a level-headed expectation for Edgecombe is to take a leap in his play in his sophomore season, even considering the high bar he set in year one. He has one hell of a supporting cast around him to help him develop and grow, and all the fundamental tools already at his disposal to make it happen.
Now we just have to wait and see what the kid does next.
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