VJ Edgecombe weaved his way around the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center, interacted with the kids at his ProCamp, and stopped to say hello or grab a quick selfie with almost all those in attendance at his ProCamp event on Saturday.
A smile hardly left his face as he dunked on campers and participated in some knockout and dribbling drills. That upbeat personality and love for the game are what fans hope burn in the young 76ers guard for a long time.
One of the concerns with the addition of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in this momentous offseason is how those moves may affect the trajectory of Edgecombe, who at 21, will be entering his second season but could see a significant shift in his role. To hear Edgecombe talk at the camp, that’s not really a worry for him. Any chatter that his development may stall or he might grow unhappy with a reduced role is just talk.
“I mean, it don’t matter what happens, there’s always going to be someone that has something to say,” Edgecombe said. “But I just want to win. I’m going to still be aggressive, still be myself. If that comes with less shots or more shots, who knows. I don’t know how the course of the game is going to go. I’m just excited to play alongside my teammates. I think we have a chance to do something really special.”
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Edgecombe averaged 16 points on 13.7 shot attempts last season. In the wake of James signing with the team, Edgecombe told ESPN he was just focusing on getting up as many shots as he could this summer, since there were going to be opportunities for open jumpers with the talent around him. He said he has to make defenses respect him (he shot 35.4% from three-point range) to help the offense function and make life easier for his new teammates.
“It’s fine if they don’t respect me, I’ll just get a bunch of open shots,” Edgecombe said. “I’m just working. That’s the main thing for me. That comes with work. Whatever I want I got to work for it. I’m willing to do that.”
After James signed, Edgecombe posted himself recreating one of James’ iconic memes, the one with the caption: “Smiling through it all, can’t believe this is my life.”
That’s because Edgecombe was about to become teammates with his “favorite” player, one who will be twice his age once James turns 42 in December. The first time James FaceTimed with him, Edgecombe said he was starstruck. That feeling hasn’t gone away as the summer has progressed.
“It’ll probably go away once we’re together in the locker room or something,” Edgecombe said.
“But I mean, our relationship been growing. We talk. I always ask him questions, just trying to learn a lot.”
He admitted he’ll have to rein in how often he picks James’ brain.
“[I’ll] have a bunch of questions, so I’m going to have to control myself when it comes to asking questions,” Edgecombe said. “I’m totally excited. It’s such a blessing. I’m going into year two, playing alongside my favorite player ever.”
There’s still a lot to figure out for Edgecombe and the rest of the new-look Sixers, but it has been a summer filled with good vibes, from various combinations of the team posting workout videos to initiating their group chat and getting to know each other better via text.
There will be an adjustment period for Edgecombe and his game, but it’s also an rare opportunity for a player at this stage in his career.
“That’s the main thing for me — just learning, getting to know them,” Edgecombe said. “They’re all great persons. Down to earth, [they’re] not acting super big-time like they are, but they’re really a bunch of humble men. I’m just glad to be around them.”