BOSTON -- The Philadelphia 76ers are a team filled with proven veterans in this league, but it helps a rookie like Labaron Philon Jr. that he can learn from somebody like VJ Edgecombe, who is close to him in age. Before shootaround began at Harvard University on Saturday morning, Philon and Edgecombe were shooting together and smiling and laughing.
Philon, 20, and Edgecombe, 21, have built a relationship thus far and the rookie guard leans on the second-year man for advice in this early part of the season. Edgecombe had a to of success as a young rookie out of Baylor in 2025-26 as he was able to really make an impact on a veteran-laden team. Of course, the pieces are different than when he was a rookie, but Edgecombe is still lending a hand to the rookie.
"He’s been great," Philon said. "He's been telling me things that I can pick up on really. He's kind of around my age, so it's kind of like a good thing for me to have him around just because he can send me things that I can pick up really quick on. I feel like his vocalness is great. He says a lot of things that a lot of people listen to. So, I feel like once you got that status, like you really good just because a lot of guys will listen to you, and then once it goes well, they trust you on the court. So, I definitely like he's definitely one of the ones I can trust."
Story on these 2 coming soon, but VJ Edgecombe and Labaron Philon Jr. got some work in together before shootaround #Sixers pic.twitter.com/VoPfc03BBo
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 10, 2026
A big part of adjusting from college to the NBA, something Edgecombe learned in his rookie season, is taking care of the body. The games pile up quickly, the minutes increase, the travel is grueling, and it's important to take care of oneself throughout the season. Edgecombe played 33 games and 1,080 minutes at Baylor. Those numbers jumped to 75 games and 2,623 minutes as a rookie.
Philon played 33 games and 1,020 minutes in his sophomore season at Alabama. Taking care of the body is one big piece of advice Edgecombe has stressed to the No. 22 pick of the draft.
"Just trying to get extra work in with the trainers and stuff like that is really important, just because you play a lot of games and minutes, your body will break down on you," Philon explained. "So, really, just getting in there with them and spending time with them, I feel like is very important for the young guys for sure. With us being young, having those great legs, you want to you know try to sustain that for a long period of time, so it's really been great."
The Sixers have two preseason contests left, both with the Boston Celtics, before the regular season opens on Oct. 20 against the defending champion New York Knicks.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Labaron Philon Jr. opens up on relationship with VJ Edgecombe
