Now that the dust has settled on the initial shock and excitement of LeBron James announcing his signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, the discussion focus has shifted to how the King will mesh with his new team.
There are a ton of angles to look at this from, but one that has stood out to me as much more prevalent than expected is the prediction that LeBron joining the Sixers — alongside the rest of the now-stacked starting lineup — will be a massive detriment to the development of 2025 No. 3 overall
pick VJ Edgecombe in his sophomore season.
Now, before we even dig in to the intricacies here, it is worth noting that some of the people peddling the idea of Edgecombe’s development being ruined by the presence of James are the same people that were certain James would never pick Philadelphia in the first place. So, there may be an element of just searching for the negatives here from some folks.
That being said, though, the development of a younger player like Edgecombe is of course a valid factor to consider when talking about a major shift in a lineup’s makeup. But the conclusion that playing alongside LeBron James (and Jaylen Brown, for that matter) will certainly derail the young guard’s progression… I’m sorry, I just don’t buy it for a number of reasons. In fact, I think the opposite will ultimately be true.
Look at the type of player we saw Edgecombe become throughout his rookie season in the NBA. Offensively, he excelled the most as an off-ball scorer — cutting to open space, scoring off screens, leaving opponents in the dust getting out in transition for quick buckets. The soon-to-be 21-year-old is incredibly speedy and athletic, with a keen awareness to know exactly what gaps to fill with precise timing, as well as a willingness to take advantage of the shot opportunities he gets with no hesitation.
All of these skills combined to make Edgecombe his most efficient when the ball wasn’t in his hands for too long. As his rookie regular season progressed, Edgecombe was a more efficient shooter on catch-and-shoots than he was pull-ups, from everywhere on the floor — he sank 38.7% (99-for-256) on catch-and-shoot triples compared for 31.1% (50-for-161) on pull-ups. On zero dribbles, Edgecombe sank 46.8% (171-for-365) from the floor when he didn’t put the ball on the ground. With a touch time of less than two seconds, he went 45.8% from the floor and 37.7% from long range.
I don’t see how the Sixers’ new stacked starting four around Edgecombe does not enable him to put those skills to immense use and continue to develop into a true sharpshooter. With Tyrese Maxey, Brown, Joel Embiid and Lebron all worthy of drawing a double-team or help defense at any given moment, there should be a lot of gaps created on the offensive floor for Edgecombe to cut to and receive passes from any of the very capable playmakers in the lineup for shooting opportunities. Not to mention that, because of that star quality surrounding him, Edgecombe is likely to be matched with every opponent’s fifth-best defender on the floor. One through four will have their hands full with the other guys.
(Perhaps I will look back on this and reflect differently if all four of his starting-line mates refuse to pass to him when he’s open for some reason, but I genuinely do not believe that will be the case.)
Edgecombe also shined in his debut season as an active, aggressive rebounder with some impressively solid defense. It doesn’t take much deep analysis into this roster to know that Edgecombe will still have plenty of opportunities to hone those specific skills even with the Sixers’ impressive newcomers.
So, in my opinion, the new starting five will work right into Edgecombe’s existing wheelhouse in a number of ways. Of course that begs the question, then, of when will he work on the things that are his existing weaknesses, such as some sloppiness and inefficiency as a ball-handler and facilitating point guard.
It’s true that he’s unlikely to get the best opportunities to work on these skills with the new starting lineup… but one has to remember that that’s not the only lineup he will be playing in. I hardly think Nick Nurse will be doing five subs at a time, and the bench unit will mesh in with the starting guys as the rotation develops throughout games. What Edgecombe doesn’t necessarily work on specifically from tipoff, he can work on more as the bench players get involved.
And none of this is even mentioning that with the addition of guys like LeBron and Brown comes their leadership and mentorship for Edgecombe, a kid that has already shown himself to be extremely coachable and adaptable to teaching. It’s one of those massive intangibles that should be considered just as important as the numbers or hypothetical “fit” on paper when talking about a player like Edgecombe.
It will never show on a stat sheet, but the young guard has already proven himself to have an incredible work ethic, an extremely confident approach to the game as well as an immense willingness to do whatever is asked of him to help his team or his game. Edgecombe wasn’t one to get down or mopey after making a mistake or going on a cold shooting streak. He showed himself able to pivot into different versions of himself based on what a game situation was calling for. He never seemed discouraged by having someone like Maxey or Nurse in his ear about something — in fact, he often seemed eager to learn from every little stumble.
I don’t see why any of those factors in Edgecombe’s personality would be different now that he’s playing alongside one of the greatest to ever do it. If anything, one would think Edgecombe would only be further encouraged to do whatever he can to make himself productive and useful among the best of the best. Hell, he handled the whiplash transition from a 19-year-old college kid to consistent NBA starter logging 3,030 NBA minutes (regular and postseason) in stride — I think he can handle perhaps a shift in expected role. And I bet he does it with a smile on his face.
So, could LeBron, Brown and the others change the way that Edgecombe’s game develops this season? Of course, there’s no doubt. But change — even within a Sixers franchise that has felt fully cursed at times — is not always a negative. The idea that Edgecombe’s development is now completely ruined or derailed by the organization’s recent fortune and the opportunity to learn from some of the best the game has to offer, feels overblown at best and completely disingenuous at worst.
Different? Maybe. Derailed? Not a chance.
