The hype continues to build in the rookie campaign of VJ Edgecombe. The third-overall pick in last summer’s NBA Draft, Edgecombe has dazzled this past week. He nailed a game-winning overtime three-pointer in a win in Memphis on Tuesday and followed it up with 23 points and five stocks in a victory over the Mavericks on Thursday.
Through 28 games, Edgecombe has already exceeded the expectations this fan base had for him as a top-three pick. He’s, improbably, already one of the game’s most clutch players
and has the ability to affect the game in ways that go beyond simply having the ball in his hands.
As the calendar has flipped to 2026, here are three resolutions for Edgecombe to follow through on through the remainder of the year…
Resemble a young Dwyane Wade on defense
Wade has the most blocks in NBA history by a guard. Edgecombe can model his game off the three-time All-Defensive player.
Just this week alone, Edgecombe took over the NBA social media sphere with some wild blocks. His “double block” against Dallas on Thursday feels like a Sixers instant classic:
Give us one of these bad boys per week and Sixers fans will be eating good.
Enter the Slam Dunk Contest
Clearly, Edgecombe’s athleticism is through the roof. He was billed as a bouncy guard coming out of Baylor, but, obviously, has proved to be much more than simply that already at the pro level. How about showcasing on the national stage what Sixers fans have seen all throughout Edgecombe’s rookie year and entering the Dunk Contest?
Mac McClung stuff aside, we need true justice for Andre Iguodala being robbed of a Dunk Contest win in 2006.
Win a playoff game all by himself
No, I’m not talking about swinging an entire series, but for one game alone, take over on both sides of the court, have one of those highlight reel blocks or two and efficiently drop 30-plus points on the Raptors’ or Celtics’ heads. I’m way more of a doomer than most when it comes to the championship prospects of this specific Sixers core and their pseudo “Big 3,” but I’m all about the spring of 2026 being about Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey receiving as many high-leverage postseason opportunities as possible to build for the next era of Philadelphia hoops.
