Sixers Pick Vj Edgecombe ‘hates Seeing The Opponent Score,' Wants To Be Special Defender

Sixers pick VJ Edgecombe ‘hates seeing the opponent score,' wants to be special defender  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CAMDEN, N.J. — VJ Edgecombe aspires to do it all.

However, if a coach asked him to only play defense, you sense he’d still embrace the task. 

The Sixers hope Edgecombe, the No. 3 pick in Wednesday night’s NBA draft, evolves into an All-Star. The 19-year-old guard knows there’s work to do and he sounds hungry to defend. 

“I just love playing defense because I know that I can (be) on the floor if I’m not scoring,” Edgecombe said in a post-draft Zoom press conference. “Scoring isn’t the only aspect of the game. I’m so bought in on just being a versatile player, being an all-around player. Why not be an elite defender, or try your hardest to be an elite defender? That just comes with grit.

“And I just don’t like seeing other people score. … I just hate seeing the opponent score because if they score more than us, they win. And I hate to lose and love to win. So that’s why I play defense the way I do.”

Edgecombe’s defensive game is much more than effort and obstinance. He averaged 2.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in his lone season at Baylor and showed he can wall off drives, jet into passing lanes and bounce high for blocks. 

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey envisions those qualities being very handy alongside guards Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes. 

“I think just fit-wise, Tyrese, with his high basketball IQ, he understands that those two complement each other very well in terms of VJ’s going to be able to guard multiple positions, probably take the toughest (defensive) assignment … maybe not (on) Day 1, but over his career,” Morey said. “Tyrese and him can really play off of each other well.” 

Edgecombe met Maxey as part of his pre-draft Sixers visit. 

“Man, he’s a great person,” he said. “We just got to know each other. We didn’t even talk basketball the whole time. … He was telling me it was great seeing me, but I was telling him how I’m just a huge fan of his game. … He’s a great person, super energetic, full of joy, and that’s someone I’m definitely looking forward to working with. 

“That’s going to be my backcourt mate. Hopefully, we retire on the same team.”

For now, Maxey will likely do considerably more scoring than Edgecombe. 

While Edgecombe wasn’t unproductive at all last season — 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game — he’s relatively weak at creating good shots for himself, converting inside and sinking jumpers off the dribble. According to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, Edgecombe shot 48.9 percent at the rim in the half court. He was 34.0 percent overall from three-point range. 

“I think I just need to continue growing in every aspect of the game,” Edgecombe said. “You can never stop getting better. I’m really focused on just shooting the ball at a high level to release pressure off of Joel (Embiid), Tyrese and (Paul George).” 

Whatever transpires in Edgecombe’s NBA career, it does not appear that he’ll lack dedication or defensive zeal.

“I know that my path is different from everyone else,” he said. “I had to work a little harder, especially being from the Bahamas. There ain’t no opportunities, ain’t nobody watching you play. No coach comes into the Bahamas and says, ‘Let me go recruit this kid for (Division I),’ so I know that my work ethic had to be a lot different from everyone else’s. That’s why I work so hard. I just want to take care of my mom … my little siblings that look up to me. 

“So that’s where my work ethic comes from, and that’s because I love the game. I feel like if you love the game, you’re going to put time into it, and I just always want to give love to the game. … The game has blessed me with so many paths in life. So why not put time into this? That’s where my work ethic comes from.”