What they’re saying about Sixers first-round pick VJ Edgecombe: Comparisons to Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and more
Paul George, Gov. Josh Shapiro, and more reacted to the Sixers drafting Edgecombe with the third overall pick.
Immediately after VJ Edgecombe was selected by the Sixers with the third overall pick in the NBA draft, the young guard made a great first impression. Wearing a suit designed by his brother, showcasing his Bahamian roots with family photos decorating the inside, he reflected on his upbringing.
“I lived off a generator. I didn’t have no electricity,” Edgecombe said on NBA TV as he started to become emotional. “I lived off a generator for seven years. Man, seeing what [my mom] had to go through to feed us. It’s crazy, it’s crazy.”
Edgecombe shared several emotional moments with his family, including his mother, in Brooklyn. And Sixers fans immediately welcomed the 19-year-old guard to the City of Brotherly Love, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“Character. Class,” Shapiro posted on X. “Welcome to Philly [VJ Edgecombe] and your mom! We are excited to have you on the Sixers. Our backcourt is young and dangerous! Love this pick by [Daryl Morey].”
Edgecombe will be joining a group of young guards with the Sixers, including Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is just one person excited to watch the young backcourt in the future.
“VJ Edgecombe going to Philly,” Simmons said, “checked a lot of the Daryl boxes. [Tyrese] Maxey, Edgecombe, and [Jared] McCain as a young, up-and-coming, arrow-pointing-up backcourt, it’s pretty nice.”
» READ MORE: NBA draft grades roundup: Was VJ Edgecombe the right pick for the Sixers?
Edgecombe will also be joining star veteran players such as former MVP Joel Embiid and nine-time NBA All-Star Paul George, who had kind words for the draftee on Podcast P.
“He showed tremendous upside and when he played with Bahamas. He’s competing and playing against top talent and he’s dunking on them, he’s blowing by them,” George said of Edgecombe’s time with the Bahamian national team, where he played alongside NBA players like Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield. “He was making an impact. I like him, I like his upside. To me he’s kind of like Jimmy Butler — just a dog, plays hard, plays both ends, and just has that toughness about him.”
Edgecombe responded to the comparison after he was drafted.
“I grew up watching Paul George — I don’t want to make him feel old,” Edgecombe said on the broadcast. “But I’m going out there to hoop. I’m going out there, whatever they need me to do, I’m just going out there to impact the game and to be the best that I can be.”
Another player Edgecombe has been compared to is Dwyane Wade, as well as former Sixer Jrue Holiday. A week before the draft, NBA forward and Philly native Marcus Morris told 6 ABC’s Jason Dumas he wanted the Sixers to draft Edgecombe third overall.
» READ MORE: Five things to know about VJ Edgecombe, from playing barefoot in the Bahamas to a walking highlight reel
“Honestly, they have a few young players but you got to kind of draft young because you don’t know what’s going to happen next year,” Morris said. “I like VJ Edgecombe, he’s a really good player. [He’s] 6-foot-4, he gives me like a [Dwyane Wade] kind of feel, right.
“I know that he can play a little defense. Even if he came off the bench I feel like he’s a really good kid. He would be able to embrace the role, grow under the role. It kind of gives me that Jrue Holiday [vibe]. Like, right when Jrue came to the city, he was low-key, you know what I’m saying. And then he just kind of grew and he became a good player.”
Edgecombe nearly reached 40 inches on his max vertical, so it’s safe to say the guard’s got bounce. And he averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists last season at Baylor.
“Just a crazy nuclear athlete,” said Michael Levin, a co-host on the Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast. “Fluid, hard worker, a crazy motor on defense, [he’s] going to step in right away and be a positive two-way player. The question becomes, what is his value in the half court?”
» READ MORE: Inside VJ Edgecombe’s first night as a Sixer: ‘It’s the best feeling in the world’
After a disappointing 24-58 season that saw the Sixers go from championship aspirations to lottery pick, fans and analysts are once again looking forward to next season — including 94 WIP host and Levin’s RTRS co-host Spike Eskin.
“I’m back in baby,” Eskin posted. “The Sixers will beat a good team in the playoffs this year!”
On that note, we leave it with this.
Staff writer Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.