CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers have a ton of talent on this 2026-27 roster led by future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. When considering those two will be flanked by Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, one would think the Sixers wouldn't have time to focus on developing the game of VJ Edgecombe.
However, the Sixers still want to include the second-year guard in everything. Despite being only 21 years old, the No. 3 pick of the 2025 draft has shown a ton of poise in his brief time in the league and will be looking to help Philadelphia go on a deep run in the postseason and reach the mountaintop of the league.
Maxey, who has played with stars like James Harden, Paul George, and Embiid in the past, wants Edgecombe to understand that
they will need him on an every night basis.
"I think the most advice that I've given to him so far, and even before we started camp and start the season, is VJ is going to be probably, if not our most important player," Maxey explained. "Like, he’s gonna be extremely important for us. We're gonna need his youth. We're gonna need the energy every single day. He's gonna have to be the same person every single night, and some nights he's gonna have to be, you know, 10 points, eight rebounds, four steals. Some nights he's gonna need to get 20."
Edgecombe averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as a rookie while playing in 75 games in the 2025-26 season. One has to believe those numbers will come down a bit as the Sixers head into the new season, but Philadelphia will be looking to the second-year guard to be there and be a constant for this group with the way he plays the game.
"Some nights, we don't know what we're gonna need him to do. You know what I'm saying?" Maxey finished. "But he has to be that steady, that rock every single night. I think he's he's up for it. We're built kind of the same. He's adaptable, and at the end of the day, VJ just wants to win. I kind of saw that last year. He's a winner, so he's gonna do whatever it takes to win. I'm proud of him, extremely proud of him because he's grown as a player over the summer. I've watched him, and he's growing as a person maturity-wise. I think he's way more mature than--what is he 20? 21? However old he is. He's gonna be ready for the moment."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Tyrese Maxey gives advice to VJ Edgecombe ahead of 2nd Sixers season
