INDIANAPOLIS -- The Philadelphia 76ers are looking much different in the 2026-27 season compared to VJ Edgecombe's rookie year. While the Sixers still had Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George around, they leaned a lot on the rookie Edgecombe to make a difference on both ends of the floor on a regular basis.
Fast forward to now in his second season, Edgecombe has had to change up his role a bit. The No. 3 pick of the 2025 NBA draft is doing the little things such as focusing his efforts on the defensive end, finding ways to space for LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Embiid, and Maxey to do their thing on offense.
Edgecombe had eight points on 3-for-10 shooting with seven rebounds in Wednesday's win over the Indiana Pacers while also being tough
defensively. He earned praise from his teammates for that type of effort.
"I think he's been handling it great from a mental standpoint," Jaylen Brown said of Edgecombe. "He's been doing all the other things to help us win, and that's big and that's key. So VJ has all my respect for that."
Edgecombe was terrific on the defensive end as he bothered the Pacers out on the perimeter and grabbed a lot of key rebounds. He hasn't had many offensive opportunities in the early part of the season, but he hasn't complained and he's done a great job of doing the other things. That has impressed Brown.
"As we continue to go throughout the season, he'll have his opportunities to show what he can do and what God has blessed him with," Brown added. "He’ll have a lot of opportunities in the future to get out and run, play a little bit with more pace, and as guys come in the lineup and exit the lineup, etc. It'll create opportunity as well. So, just gotta have the right mindset night in and night out and be ready to go."
He didn't shoot the ball all that well, but Edgecombe found a way to impact the game. That's always big in the eyes of coach Nick Nurse.
"Again, I don't think he had much going in the game, but he played good," explained Nurse. "He was 3-for-10 or 3-for-12 and you can do that and still have a good game and I think he did."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers star gives respect to VJ Edgecombe after win over Pacers
