PHILADELPHIA — The predraft course of is usually suffering from rumor, innuendo and plain misinformation. That was significantly true in Philadelphia this summer season.
And that was solely pure. In any case, the Sixers held the No. 3 choice within the 2025 NBA Draft, the primary excessive lottery decide of Daryl Morey’s profession as staff president. And since we knew who the primary two picks can be, the draft basically began with Philly. What would the 76ers do?
Internally, for a number of causes, VJ Edgecombe nudged forward of the remainder of the pack, lengthy earlier than Morey and his employees phoned of their number of the mixture guard on Wednesday night time.
Off the ground, Edgecombe interviewed with poise and polish. He introduced himself as knowledgeable. He made the Sixers’ entrance workplace snug with betting on him. On the ground, in a tier of gamers who all got here with a sure stage of flaw, Edgecombe introduced the Sixers with the perfect steadiness between a high-floor and high-ceiling end result within the group of 4 or so gamers Philadelphia severely thought-about. And in a backcourt that we may generously name defensively poor final season, Edgecombe was the one participant in that group who got here able to play on the defensive finish of the ground.
“I hate to see different individuals rating,” Edgecombe mentioned. “I simply hate it. I actually hate it.”
The 76ers chosen Edgecombe with the No. 3 decide of Wednesday’s draft exactly for that type of competitiveness. They want a dynamic guard defensively. They want the elite stage of athleticism that he brings. And you may rely off names all you need — Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Jared McCain — however the Sixers have to put extra expertise round Joel Embiid.
Bouncing again from a 50-loss season is within the playing cards for the 76ers, in what may very well be a wild and wide-open Jap Convention subsequent season. The Indiana Pacers may take a step again with out Tyrese Haliburton. The Boston Celtics have already taken a number of steps to dismantle the core that received them a championship. Groups are taking a gander on the panorama and concluding that the climb up the mountain is feasible.
What the Sixers have achieved by choosing Edgecombe is make a dynamic backcourt extra dynamic. Sure, they had been terrible final season. They obtained off to a horrible begin, then they accurately concluded they wanted to lose loads within the second half of the season to retain a draft decide owed to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. Edgecombe brings a dose of athleticism that comes round each few years. Take into consideration the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar. Edgecombe doesn’t have their bodily measurement. However his explosion off the bottom, his first step and his vertical explosion on the rim are comparable.
“I believe we now have top-of-the-line backcourts within the league,” Morey mentioned. “Whenever you take a look at a few of these groups which are profitable, all of them have a number of guards.”
The draw back to the backcourt they’ve created is a scarcity of measurement. Maxey and Edgecombe high out at 6-foot-4. McCain is generously listed at 6-3. However while you take the talent and the athleticism, the Sixers do have a deep and proficient backcourt, particularly if they preserve Quentin Grimes, and particularly if rising second-year lefty Justin Edwards takes a leap.
Embiid’s balky knee, which value him most of final season, continues to be the important thing as to if Philadelphia can flip final season round. However the Sixers caught a great little bit of lottery luck in retaining the first-round decide that initially was top-six protected. After which, they caught some success in having the ability to transfer up a couple of spots.
A whole lot of what separated Edgecombe from the pack are the issues that occurred nicely earlier than the predraft course of. He confirmed extraordinarily nicely for the Bahamas final summer season in worldwide basketball. And that’s the place you can see how a participant of his athletic capacity may thrive within the spacing {of professional} basketball. He confirmed resilience in his freshman season at Baylor, bettering because the 12 months progressed and turning himself into one of many higher gamers within the Large 12 convention in January and February.
His protection and athletic capacity determine to get him on the ground early in his skilled profession. That’s the flooring he offers on the No. 3 choice.
“I’m actually centered on making an attempt to shoot the ball at a excessive stage,” Edgecombe mentioned. “My job goes to be making an attempt to launch stress on Joel, Paul (George) and Tyrese.”
What excites the Sixers is what Edgecombe may develop into. On Wednesday night time, Morey mentioned Edgecombe has All-Star upside. A couple of prognosticator compares him to a younger Victor Oladipo. For those who squint actually arduous, you may even see hints of a younger Dwyane Wade.
To get to a star stage, Edgecombe must hit on his swing abilities. He’s presently not an incredible shooter. He’s somebody who could make pictures, and even necessary pictures. However he’s extra harmful offensively at this level in transition. Secondly, his ballhandling has to enhance. He’s good, however not but dynamic, off the dribble. Wade and Oladipo had been each excellent off the bounce. Edgecombe has to get to that stage to unlock his ceiling.
However that’s the place Edgecombe the individual is available in. He’s a aggressive man who, by all accounts, will are available and be a tough employee, and somebody who will work to develop the weaker factors of his recreation. And in that vein, he’s coming right into a veteran roster, gamers like George and Maxey, that he can lean on. Initially, he’ll play in summer season leagues in Utah and Las Vegas. After which, for him and the Sixers, will probably be a race to coaching camp and a brand new season.
“We’re tremendous enthusiastic about VJ and that we obtained the possibility to draft him,” Morey mentioned. “He’s a dynamic athlete. We predict he’s top-of-the-line athletes within the draft. We predict he has an opportunity to be a possible All-Star, and he’s going to be a two-way participant coming into the league. He has loads of successful qualities, and we expect he’s going to be a extremely good match. We predict he’s going to be an incredible teammate.”
(Photograph: Sarah Stier / Getty Pictures)
