Philadelphia 76ers' Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jameer Nelson shared high praise for rising sophomore V.J. Edgecombe.
V.J. Edgecombe had a stellar rookie season for the Philadelphia 76ers.
He was selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and wasted no time proving to the front office that they made the right decision. In his rookie campaign, Edgecombe averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals on 43.8% shooting and 35.4% shooting from three-point range in 75 games.
He also finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets' Kon Knueppel.
The 76ers made significant changes to their front office already this offseason, including promoting Jameer Nelson to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. Nelson made his feelings clear on Edgecombe recently, sharing words of high praise for the rising sophomore.
"VJ is one of the guys that he's not afraid of the moment, you know?" Nelson said, per Sixers Wire. "Go back to his college days, it was only a year ago, but he got better pretty much every month, and it was a similar trajectory here, where you could say, and he hit the ground running, but he never took a step back. I think he just continued to grow and learn, which is admirable by him."
Edgecombe improving even further in his second season will work wonders for Philadelphia's success as a team. At the stages of their careers, it's quite clear what level of production the 76ers will get from Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid when they're on the floor.
The same cannot be said for Edgecombe, as the sky is truly the limit for him given his physical tools and confidence at his age.
The hope is undoubtedly that Edgecombe becomes more efficient at the rim as well as outside the paint in his second year. He is already a strong defender but could become even more disciplined under mentorship from George.
Nelson's remark makes obvious Edgecombe is a key part of the 76ers' future moving forward.
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