With the third overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Sixers select the 6’5″ guard out of Baylor.
The Sixers get their man in VJ Edgecombe on night one of the NBA Draft from the Barclays Center. Here’s the skinny on the pick for Philadelphia.
Skywalker
One thing that sticks out about Edgecombe is his explosive athletic ability. One of the more ferocious dunkers in the draft, the Bahamian guard combines that ability with a quality defensive conscience. He can block shots, anticipate passing lanes to kickstart transition for his team and possesses a good feel for when to involve his teammates.
Additionally, Edgecombe also participated in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, on a team that rostered NBAers Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield, and Eric Gordon. Make no mistake, the potential for Edgecombe to become a force at the next level is very real.
Oh, and Philadelphia is able to sidestep the headache that has become the Ace Bailey situation. Bailey, of course, ended up being selected by the Utah Jazz after making it known that he preferred to play in markets that allowed him a “clear path to stardom.”
Tough break, kid.
The Evolution
When you look at the names listed out like this by Jacob Moreno, Philadelphia is no doubt building an intriguing young core. Despite the messiness surrounding Paul George’s contract and Joel Embiid’s health, it’s somewhat cathartic to know that the Sixers have a strong base of talented young players that could carry them into the next era for this franchise. Obviously, “the process” era is littered with a number of near misses, bad luck and at times, sheer incompetence. At least to me, it feels different this time in terms of team building.
With Maxey already an all star talent, and a full year of McCain, Edwards and Grimes as rotational pieces, could things be looking up a bit?
It’ll be fun to watch and see.
