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The Philadelphia 76ers are entering what could be a last-gasp attempt to wring something out of the Joel Embiid era in 2025-26. Embiid has spent the majority of the last two seasons sidelined with injuries after his 2023 MVP campaign, but the 76ers did draft a future building block this offseason in former Baylor standout VJ Edgecombe.
Edgecombe figures to inject some youth into a 76ers team that otherwise relies heavily on aging veterans like Embiid and Paul George.
Recently, an anonymous Eastern Conference general manager gave a bold prediction for just how quickly Edgecombe could climb the 76ers' ranks.
“VJ might be Philly's second-best player by the end of the season, factoring in [Joel] Embiid's uncertain health,” said the general manager, per Jeremy Woo of ESPN. “He's that good and will thrive playing in Nick Nurse's system.”
Woo also noted that the 76ers have a bit of a logjam at the guard position with Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, but that “Edgecombe's potential to be a standout on both sides of the ball ultimately overrode those concerns,” and that “there's plenty of optimism around the league surrounding his future.
An exciting 76ers prospect
VJ Edgecombe recently flashed the playmaking ability and athleticism that allowed him to be the number three overall pick during his stint with the 76ers' Summer League team in Las Vegas.
As Woo mentioned, the 76ers have three combo guard-adjacent players on their roster in Edgecombe, Maxey, and McCain, who might have won the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year award had he not gone down with injury.
However, having too much talent is never a bad thing, and the 76ers will need all of the perimeter playmaking they can get due to Embiid's shaky health and George's own lengthy injury history and age.
It remains to be seen how big of a role Edgecombe will be given in Nick Nurse's rotation at the start of the season, but it's certainly within the realm of possibility that he works his way into being a key contributor for Philadelphia sooner rather than later.
The 76ers' schedule for the 2025-26 season will be released in August.
