Despite an abrupt ending to the season, being swept by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2026 National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers are high on their sensational rookie guard Valdez ‘VJ’ Edgecombe Jr.
The Bahamian first-year player in the NBA officially ended his rookie season having averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range. He averaged 14 points per game in his first 11 playoff games.
The Knicks fell to a division rival in the playoffs, but the 2025-26 season was a pretty high-end outcome for them. They upset the second-seeded Boston Celtics in a playoff series, making it to the second round against the high-powered Knicks.
During his exit interview, Sixers’ de facto captain Joel Embiid was talking about the example he tries to set for the younger players, and went on a long tangent about Edgecombe’s potential while doing so. The 20-year-old set a number of rookie records for the Sixers this season, and wrapped up the regular season finishing third in the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Race.
“VJ is up next. Philly got a good one in him,” Embiid said. “He’s the guy. I’m telling you guys, that guy is something different and this was only year one. Year two is gonna be better, year three even better.”
Embiid would go on to call him a “monster” later in his presser.
Every Sixers’ player asked about Edgecombe is confident in his improvement year-over-year. It’s all the intangibles he flashed all season that impressed his teammates so much — and why they so often say he is not the average rookie.
“Usually, guys improve quite a bit from year one to year two,” said Sixers’ Head Coach Nick Nurse. “I would imagine with his work ethic and stuff, he’ll have a good summer.”
Edgecombe responded to Embiid’s comments the exact way anyone who’s been around him so far would expect him to.
“It’s great, but the work has to be put in, I have to continue putting in the work,” he said. “I really love my teammates and I really love all the good things they say about me, but yes, I gotta keep putting in the work, keep getting better.”
A young guard with a crazy work ethic drafted after a disastrous season is a familiar story with this team. Tyrese Maxey recognized those similarities as he sat next to Edgecombe at the podium.
“Probably like two, three years ago I sat up here with Joel and I sat up here with James \[Harden\] and they saw something in me,” Maxey said, “and I guess I’m getting old now, because I’m sitting up here with VJ and I’m just happy to be a part of his journey.”
All three of the Sixers’ max contract stars have had their impact on Edgecombe in one way or another. Paul George did a lot of mentoring Edgecombe as a defender, but he feels the experience Edgecombe was able to get with a full playoff run as a rookie was invaluable.
“I’m kind of here to help improve the process,” George said, “but the parts that you want out of it, he’s experienced it, so that’s the positive, and I think he’ll know where he needs to take it and what we need from him going down for years to come.”
Edgecombe already has a list of things he wants to work on to improve for next year. He wants to get better on the ball. He mentioned his handles, but shooting is something he definitely wants to improve on.
“Go in the gym and just get better,” he said. “Coming into next year a team won’t ever leave me open, you know?”
All of his teammates are confident he will get there because of how hard he works, but it takes a real grinder for someone like Maxey to praise his work ethic.
“He works too hard and he wants it too much,” Maxey said. “You can’t ask for anything better than that, and the city should really just rally behind it and just be excited.”
It’s very unusual for a team to convey this much excitement after getting swept out of the second round of the playoffs, but as Edgecombe showed time and time again throughout his rookie season, he is not a usual player.