VJ Edgecombe had about as good a start to an NBA career as possible. He started on opening night and played 42 minutes, dropping 34 points on 50% field goal shooting en route to beating a hated rival. Six months later, he had his first big playoff moment in the same building.
He dropped a team-high 30 points, this time on 60% field goal shooting, to help the Sixers pick up a 111-97 victory in Game 2 against the Celtics, tying up the series 1-1 as it comes back to Philly. He broke down the Celtics’
defense and his jumper was lethal as both he and Maxey put Boston’s bigs in pick-and-rolls possession after possession to get them in space.
After going 0-of-5 on his three-point attempts in Game 1, Edgecombe made six of his 10 three-point attempts in Game 2. Sixteen of his 30 came in the second quarter, the most by any rookie in a playoff quarter since Tyler Herro in the bubble, according to ESPN.
That was only the beginning of a historic night for the rookie. Finishing the night with 10 rebounds, he became the youngest player to put up 30 and 10 in a playoff game, passing Magic Johnson, and the first rookie to do so since Tim Duncan in 1998. After the game, Edgecombe shared the podium with Paul George and got to see his mentor react to his feat.
Edgecombe managed to do all of this even after taking a hard fall that forced him to leave the game in the first quarter. He also had to check out early in the third and spend some time on the exercise bike to get ready to play again. Despite that, he capped off his dazzling night by pulling up for a three and drilling it in Payton Pritchard’s face, then giving a wink towards the camera as he went to get back on defense.
This performance perfectly distilled just how much of a shot in the arm Edgecombe has been for this franchise. Not only is he something to show for the wreck that was the 2024-25 season, but he’s shown so many qualities Sixers fans have been begging for in a player.
He’s not just going to try to cook your ass, he’s going to talk shit in the process. The confidence he has in himself is admittedly bordering on delusion.
That’s just the mindset that was needed for the Sixers to bounce back from a dreadful Game 1. They were steamrolled by the Celtics thanks to a putrid shooting performance. Edgecombe missing all five of his threes was a big part of that, but it didn’t stop him from getting up twice as many attempts the next game.
There was also a bit of franchise history made — Edgecombe is the first Sixers rookie to score 30 or more in a playoff game since 1981 when Andrew Toney, aka The Boston Strangler, did it. Edgecombe torturing the Celtics like Toney did once upon a time would only endear him more to Sixers fans.
Edgecombe has shown the type of poise required to bounce back all season, a trait that’s made him look far more seasoned than the average 20-year-old rookie. Everything he’s done this year has shown that as long as the starting backcourt is under contract, the future outlook seems pretty bright. If Edgecombe continues to save his best for the Boston Celtics, it only looks more exciting.
