Among the top-nine picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, only Kon Knueppel, who shared the floor with eventual No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, touted a lower collegiate usage rate than VJ Edgecombe, whose pre-draft pitch was not centered around immense creation and scoring potential.
So, when he exploded with 34 points in his NBA debut and finished third in scoring among rookies behind only Flagg and Knueppel last season, it distorted some perceptions about what made Edgecombe such a tantalizing prospect and why optimism is abundant for the rest of his career.
Those perceptions were reinforced when the Philadelphia 76ers transformed their roster this offseason by trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James, with folks wondering whether the enormous import of star power may stunt Edgecombe’s impact or development after he featured so prominently in Philadelphia’s plans as a rookie.
Yet Edgecombe is well-positioned to flourish on the new-look Sixers in a role better tailored to his strengths while mitigating his weaknesses. With Brown, James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey all deriving substantial value from the shiniest of offensive contributions, scoring and playmaking, somebody in that starting group will need to fill the gaps elsewhere.
That is the bat signal for Edgecombe, who could possibly vault Philadelphia into title contention by embracing the sort of role recent champions like Josh Hart, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jrue Holiday and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Edgecombe’s new teammate) aptly embodied.
Edgecombe’s 20.6 percent usage rate a year ago is the lowest of the Sixers’ five starters. Everyone will probably see a dip there but Edgecombe is the most logical candidate to ply his trade elsewhere as the least talented offensive engine of the bunch. And that is perfectly fine. Less of his footprint being tied to a still-in-transit creation gene and more of it being tied to his sprawling athleticism should benefit him.
According to databallr, Edgecombe recorded 7.0 creation true shooting attempts per 100 possessions last year (86th percentile) and generated a 43.7 percent true shooting mark on them, 8.6 percent lower than average. While he indicated some creation potential, his rickety handle -- which has improved substantially in recent years -- and early pickup points in the paint hindered his efficiency.
The arrival of James and Brown will help channel whatever usage Edgecombe does garner into more favorable areas like transition scoring, spot-up shooting and cutting. But such a reality does not guarantee success for Edgecombe, who must reinforce that he’s a legitimate off-ball shooter (38.3 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s last year) and maintain his in-season growth as a finisher.
According to Cleaning the Glass, his 61 percent clip at the rim last season ranked in the 38th percentile, beset by audacious attempts and erratic downhill endeavors. Over the course of the season, though, he progressed and operated with more craft, discretion and control, evidenced by a chart like this (courtesy of Dunks & Threes):
Whether beyond the arc or inside the paint, each of Hart, Caruso, Wallace, Holiday and Caldwell-Pope had at least one efficient play-finishing mode. There is much more to fulfilling a role akin to theirs as a championship-caliber fifth starter but nailing that is nonetheless part of the recipe.
Although the entirety of the Sixers’ starting five will not spend *that* much time together on the floor each night, I presume there will be stretches in which Edgecombe is guarded by an ill-qualified defender as teams prioritize slowing Brown, James and Maxey. If so, Edgecombe should be encouraged to wield his speed and explosiveness as a prolific offensive rebounder who overwhelms opponents.
He posted a 5.0 percent offensive rebounding rate last year (58th percentile, per Dunks & Threes), a number he could perhaps nearly double if he functions with the correct mentality and is afforded the autonomy to do so. Plenty of distinctions exist between them -- namely, size, strength, top-end athleticism and offensive profiles -- but Edgecombe emulating some of the Thompson twins’ signatures as a premier second-chance producer and transition tycoon would be shrewd (and he already does the latter).
Much like them, he will be his team’s designated point-of-attack stopper most nights (Brown could receive some assignments). His body control, motor and hand-eye coordination powered him as a rookie, when he authored many impressive outings defensively against some of the league’s foremost talents.
That should continue in year two, and his ability to elevate from merely good to very good or great may substantially shape the Sixers’ ceiling on that end. It’s a lot of pressure for a 21-year-old but nobody else in the starting unit owns his ceiling as a perimeter pest. Dean Wade is a very, very good wing defender but Philadelphia probably won’t want him closing games when its full complement of players are available. Edgecombe has to be that guy.
Of course, on-ball defense does not occur on an island, nor is it the sole factor in an empty or fruitful trip for the offense. Edgecombe will need his teammates to communicate properly and close gaps to discourage optimal passing, driving or shooting windows. He himself must excel off the ball, too. Based on head coach Nick Nurse’s recent comments, it sounds like the Sixers’ overhauled roster has him more comfortable integrating his preferred defensive style, which suits Edgecombe well:
During Nurse’s five seasons as head coach of the Toronto Raptors, they finished among the top two in opposing turnover rate four times (16.2 percent or higher each time), per Cleaning the Glass. Since joining the Sixers three seasons ago, they’ve finished fourth, third and eighth, though only eclipsed 16.2 percent once. With athletes like Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe on the perimeter, they could be emboldened to really dial up the aggression, especially if Embiid and James are diligent helpers on the backend (expecting that of the latter is risky).
Edgecombe posted a 1.7 percent steal rate last season (66th percentile) but it feels like there’s so much more room to explore with his speed, instincts, ground coverage and open floor athleticism; his 3.3 deflections per game (14th league-wide, min. 41 games) suggest the same, too. At Baylor, he averaged 2.5 steals per 40 minutes with a 3.8 percent steal rate. This is a ball hawk waiting to be fully unleashed. Doing so is critical to maximizing his impact in a scaled-down offensive role.
By being one of the league’s pluckiest defenses, Toronto was a mainstay near the top of fast-break leaderboards. It ranked among the top five in transition frequency and points added through transition play every year of Nurse’s tenure, per Cleaning the Glass.
The Sixers, meanwhile, have ranked outside the top 10 in transition frequency each season since hiring Nurse.
That should change in 2026-27. Maxey, Brown, James and Edgecombe are all adept running and gunning, and a havoc-inducing defensive strategy is seemingly being implemented -- all of which caters to Edgecombe’s game.
Maxey, Brown, Embiid and James will win the Sixers many possessions with their virtuoso shot-making and general offensive splendor. But not every quality look will fall and not every eagle-eyed pass will yield points. Philadelphia will have to win possessions in other ways. That’s where Edgecombe can prosper, just as his aforementioned role player contemporaries do.
A new, enhanced role awaits Edgecombe this season, one retrofitted for his services and vital to determining if the revamped Sixers are truly championship contenders. He won’t be their best player but how he fares with these amended responsibilities may be the most salient bellwether on their trek toward a title.