VJ Edgecombe’s injury has opened old wounds for Sixers fans trying to get over the 2024-25 season

Once again, excitement has turned to concern.

Once again, a 76ers standout couldn’t stay healthy enough to convince fans that things will be different.

Several days ago, VJ Edgecombe was the talk of the NBA. Fans and scouts were in awe of Saturday night’s 28-point, 10-rebound performance against the Utah Jazz in the Salt Lake City Summer League.

The third pick in last month’s NBA draft suddenly made the Sixers must-see TV. Anticipation continued to grow as folks waited to see Edgecombe sky over competition in the remaining SLC and NBA 2K26 Summer League games in Las Vegas.

» READ MORE: As the NBA buzzes about VJ Edgecombe, scouts weigh in on his potential: ‘He’s going to be good. He goes hard.’

Drafting Edgecombe over Ace Bailey, who slid to the Utah Jazz at No. 5, was being regarded as a brilliant move.

But Edgecombe missed the final two games in Salt Lake for what the team then labeled a left thumb contusion. The Sixers said he was day to day.

However, they revealed Wednesday night that Edgecombe was evaluated by a physician and has been diagnosed with a left thumb sprain. As a result, the 6-foot-5, 190-pounder was ruled out for Thursday’s much-anticipated NBA 2K26 opener against No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Sixers said that Edgecombe is participating in on-court workouts while being monitored by its medical staff. The 19-year-old will be reevaluated on Saturday, the day the Sixers face No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets.

As this all-too-familiar scenario played out, all the excitement from Edgecombe’s debut disappeared. Now, talk about the Sixers being cursed has started once again.

Not even a full week into summer league, another Sixer standout is hurt. One social media commenter even joked, “Yes, this kid is a Sixer. Already missing games.”

That’s been the sad reality for a franchise that can’t kick the injury bug.

To keep things in perspective, Edgecombe’s injury will be long forgotten come November if he’s thriving at the start of the regular season. Right now, the Sixers are playing exhibitions to get draft picks acclimated and to evaluate talent.

But it’s hard not to think about the team’s inability to stay healthy after Edgecombe’s injury — especially after what it endured last season.

The Sixers tried to chase history by acquiring Paul George and pairing him with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in the name of winning their fourth NBA championship and stealing headlines from the hated Boston Celtics.

» READ MORE: Sixers grouped with Celtics, Magic, Nets, and Pistons in third annual NBA Cup

Instead, they finished 24-58 in what was among the most disappointing seasons in their 76-year existence, starting with the 1949-50 Syracuse Nationals.

Embiid, George, and Maxey only played in 15 games together. Embiid, who played in just 19 games because of an ongoing left knee injury, had arthroscopic surgery on April 11. George, who played in 41 games, received injections in the left adductor muscle in his groin and his left knee on March 17.

And the injuries were contagious.

Jared McCain was the first player shut down for the season on Jan. 9 after having surgery on Dec. 17 to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Then Eric Gordon was shut down after undergoing right wrist surgery on Feb. 26. And the Sixers officially shut down Maxey on April 9 because of a sprained right finger, even though he hadn’t played since March 3.

“Obviously, you’ve got to be optimistic in every situation, given the talent that we have,” George said at the conclusion of the season. “I think moving forward, hopefully, we can get healthy, work extremely hard this summer. I think it’ll be a different summer.”

While it might not be severe, Edgecombe’s injury is a reminder of the Sixers’ fraught injury history — and proof that observers of the team have grown sensitive to the very mention of a setback.