76ers' VJ Edgecombe making unusual rookie strides in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia 76ers were believers in VJ Edgecombe. That's why they drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick.

But the reality for rookies in the NBA is that even the most talented ones often struggle to make a positive dent in the team impact stats -- their squad isn't necessarily better with them on the floor than off it.

It's just an underlying truth about the adjustment to the NBA. There's so much new that even when a rookie generally looks comfortable and puts up decent numbers, the overall impact is a bit muted.

Not with Edgecombe, though.

The 76ers are definitively better with their rookie guard from Baylor on the floor. It's as encouraging a reality as any for this athletic, skilled rook.

"In a rarity for a rookie, Edgecombe has made an immediate impact on a playoff contender," ESPN's Tim Bontemps wrote on Friday. "The 76ers are 4.6 points better per 100 possessions when he's on the court, another rookie rarity."

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One of the big reasons Edgecombe has hit the ground running is an outside shot that keeps on falling.

"And for a player who came into the league with questions about his shot, Edgecombe is hitting 37.4% of nearly six 3-point attempts per game," Bontemps writes. "Prioritizing the protected 2025 first-round pick has paid off, as Philadelphia seems to have found its backcourt for the next decade in the electric duo of Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey."

The 76ers will have questions to answer going forward about other perimeter players like Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes.

But deciding Edgecombe was the pick for them, and figuring out how to incorporate him so seamlessly already, has been a huge win for Philadelphia.

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