To say the Philadelphia 76ers have expected a lot out of VJ Edgecombe as a rookie would be an understatement.
Joining the red, white, and blue as a 20-year-old rookie out of Baylor, Edgecombe has started all 50 games he's appeared in alongside Tyrese Maxey and company in 2025-26, being tasked with spacing the floor, driving to the basket, and playing good defense on the other side of the court.
Discussing his early run through the NBA midway through his rookie season on Club 520 Podcast, Edgecombe broke down one particularly tough stretch of games where he was tasked with guarding some of the best players in the NBA.
“Bro, it was a stretch. I went to guard Luka, too, Curry sat out. I ain’t going to lie, I was low-key happy,” Edgecombe said. “Even though you want to compete, I was like, that ain’t too bad. I had to guard Luka, I had to guard Shai, D-Book, Brunson, I had to guard all of them, bro. So that was like my welcome to the NBA.”
So, who was the toughest player Edgecombe guarded over his “Welcome to the NBA” gauntlet? That would be Ja Morant, who dropped 40 on the 76ers despite Edgecombe's best efforts.
“Toughest? I ain’t going to lie to you, Ja Morant bro,” Edgecombe said. “I ain’t going to lie, he had 40.”
Widely celebrated as one of the better athletes in the 2025 NBA Draft class, Edgecombe made it clear that he wanted to be a force on both ends of the court, with defense just as important to his personal game as his offensive production. Despite often being the youngest player on the court every time Nick Nurse checks him into a game, Edgecombe's desire to play both ways has largely come to pass, with “The Generator” only getting better as his mettle gets tested night in and night out.
