CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers will field one of the more talented teams in the league when considering the star power on this roster. The Sixers were able to land Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the offseason to join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and young VJ Edgecombe in an effort to chase a championship in the upcoming season.
With that being said, one has to wonder about the growth and development of Edgecombe. As the No. 3 pick of the 2025 draft heads into year No. 2, the young guard figures to take a backseat to Brown, James, and others as Philadelphia prioritizes winning over development, but Edgecombe isn't worried about any of that.
In fact, Edgecombe has been barking at James in an effort to get him up to speed.
"No, I'm myself,"
Edgecombe said after the first day of training camp. "I'm myself. I told him, I was like, ‘Yo, Bron, we got to switch that. We got to do it.’ We hold each other accountable. We're teammates now, man. It's no pressure playing alongside him. It's fun. If it's anything, it's more fun than pressure. Obviously, all the eyes are on us. So it's more fun than I would say pressure."
Obviously, James is one of the smartest players to ever touch a basketball, but on the flip side, this is a new situation for him. Edgecombe is taking it upon himself to get his new teammate up to speed. While one can assume there will be some starstruck moments where one will look at James and marvel, but Edgecombe is trying to get him on the same page.
"I told him you got to switch," Edgecombe added. "We forgot. We messed up a switch, but that's what happens. Like I said, we’re getting to know each other. It's a new system for him. Just everything's on the fly right now, but overall, I’d say it was great."
Therefore, Edgecombe isn't worried about any pressure that could possibly be placed upon him. This is a unique situation for a 21-year-old, but he isn't running away from it. He's taking it head on and using his voice to really make a big impact for this group.
"I'm just trying to encourage my teammates, just talk, be vocal," Edgecombe explained. "Obviously we critique each other at times, but that's what happens. It happens in the game of basketball, but we’re building that relationship. If I have something to say, I don't want it to be from a voice that's not heard. I want to be vocal where it's obviously like, OK, if I tell them to do something, they'll be like, ‘OK.’ Ain't like this is my first time saying something."
While the Sixers have some natural leaders who can speak up and make sure everybody is focused, the young Edgecombe was the one who has been vocal for this group. It's impressive for Philadelphia to see him use his voice at this early stage of his career.
"It's important that I do that," he finished. "It's important that I voice myself. We’re all men, we’re all men, and we’re all going to listen to each other. We might not do what you want us to do exactly, but we’re all going to listen to each other. We’re going to hear each other out. It's all a respect kind of thing."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: VJ Edgecombe addresses any pressure to perform in year 2 for Sixers
