VJ Edgecombe keeps showing up in the kind of offseason runs that tell you plenty about how seriously he’s taking this stretch. The Philadelphia 76ers guard has been in constant motion this summer, bouncing from FIBA play to workouts with NBA talent, always with a ball nearby and his game in focus as he prepares for the upcoming season.
One of his recent runs brought him into the PLYS UNTD workout group, and the headliners were impossible to miss. Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis were both on the floor with Edgecombe, giving the young guard a chance to share the court with two players who know what it’s like to play alongside LeBron James.
Irving, now 34, spent his Cleveland Cavaliers years from 2011 to 2017, with the biggest overlap coming during the 2015-2016 championship run. After that, he moved on to the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets before landing with the Dallas Mavericks, where he plays now. For Edgecombe, that connection matters because Irving has lived through the kind of high-level partnership and pressure that comes with being part of a title-caliber core.
Davis brings a different kind of perspective. The 33-year-old big man was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, after James had pushed for LA to make him a priority.
That pairing paid off immediately: in their first season together, James and Davis won a title. They stayed linked through the 2023-2024 NBA season, and Davis was later traded after appearing in 42 games during the 2024-2025 season.
For Edgecombe, the larger picture is even more interesting. The 21-year-old second-year guard may slot in as the fifth option in the Sixers’ starting lineup, but that doesn’t mean his role is small. He is still viewed as a franchise cornerstone for Philadelphia, even in a group that includes LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid.
That’s the kind of company that can accelerate a young player’s growth fast. The Sixers are counting on Edgecombe to keep climbing, and the idea is simple enough: soak up what he can now, then keep moving up the pecking order as the years go on.
In Other News...
Sixers Forward Depth Suddenly Looks Better Than Anyone Expected
The 76ers spent the offseason quietly reshaping their forward group, and one of the more interesting additions was Dean Wade on a four-year deal. Wade comes over from Cleveland with a reputation as a reliable, useful forward who can handle minutes behind a star and keep an offense from bogging down. For a team that has spent plenty of recent seasons trying to patch together depth, the move pointed to a front office trying to make the rotation sturdier from top to bottom.
Dominick Barlow adds another layer to that conversation, because his development gives Philadelphia another name to consider as it maps out the position. Between Wade's arrival and Barlow's growth, the Sixers suddenly have more forward options than expected, and the challenge now is less about finding bodies and more about figuring out which combinations actually hold up when the games matter. [Read more 🡒]
Jason Kidd Just Raised The Stakes For LeBron And The Sixers
Jason Kidds recent comments added another layer to the conversation around Philadelphias offseason, with the Hall of Fame guard putting a premium on the kind of basketball IQ and playmaking that can reshape a team. In his view, players like LeBron James and Nikola Jokic stand out because they do more than score - they see the game in a way that lifts everyone around them, and Kidd said his own style has always leaned closer to James brand of all-around control.
For the Sixers, that kind of endorsement matters because it frames James as more than just another high-profile addition. Kidd also pointed to the ripple effect of James joining Philadelphia, suggesting his presence could push the club into the top tier of the Eastern Conference. The question now is how quickly that vision turns into reality, and whether the Sixers can turn the buzz around James into the kind of sustained edge contenders are built on. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Linked To Knicks Guard Who May Not Solve Much
Deuce McBrides name has started to surface in the kind of trade chatter that tends to follow a player when he gets close to the end of a contract. The Knicks guard is entering the final year of his deal, and if contract talks go sideways, Philadelphia could be one of the teams watching closely. The Sixers have backcourt questions to sort through, but they also already have established guards in Tyrese Maxey and Anfernee Simons, which makes any addition at that spot a more specific fit than a broad need.
For Philadelphia, McBride makes sense mainly as a backup ball-handler option, the sort of depth piece that can help stabilize a rotation without changing its shape. Still, he does not look like a must-target player for a team that already has more prominent pieces handling the ball and creating offense. If the Sixers pursue guard help, this would be more about adding insurance and flexibility than chasing a headline move. [Read more 🡒]