Will VJ Edgecombe Regress or Progress With New-Look 76ers?

Every player looks to their second year as the season things start to come together. Some may not see the court until later in their careers, while some are thrust in from the moment they are drafted. The Philadelphia 76ers have a second-year player in VJ Edgecombe who could be in for an intriguing sophomore year. 

The 76ers went into this offseason looking to put all their chips in, in an effort to win an NBA title. They acquired Jaylen Brown in a trade and signed superstar LeBron James, which could hinder some of Edgecombe’s growth. However, this will be a move that allows Edgecombe to mature in a basketball sense.

Edgecombe won’t be relegated to just a corner shooter. The offense that will be implemented by head coach Nick Nurse will allow him to roam and be more of a slasher for the team. Sharing the floor with all these stars means he could be a forgotten man by the defense. Edgecombe made 35.4 percent of his threes and shot just over 43 percent from the field.  The young guard was seen getting in offseason workouts and had some runs at a local gym.

This shows he wants to fall in line and do what he can to be ready when his number is called upon. It was already discussed with Tyrese Maxey that this team will be doing everything they can to get Edgecombe involved in the offense. When you play with someone like James, you may not have the stats you once had, but you learn how to win. He plans to get the ball to everyone else so it’s not like he’s taking shots out of the hand of Edgecombe.

The only way that Edgecombe could regress is if he sustains an unfortunate injury. Plus, who’s to say that he regresses to the point of no return? You only have James for a limited amount of time, so it’s smart of Edgecombe to soak up everything he can from James. When James was a part of the Miami Heat he didn’t cause Chris Bosh’s game to regress, he just learned to assume a new role within the team. Bosh numbers may have dipped, but he still had the same impact as he did when it was just his team in Toronto. 

While he may not get to be the effective scorer he was a year ago, there is still a place for Edgecombe on this team. His growth will be a huge asset for a team like this.