There was a lot of speculation about who the Philadelphia 76ers would select with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
After Ace Bailey, who was selected by the Jazz at five, declined a workout with the team, some were wondering whether Philly would still choose him or go in a different direction.
Well, they went in a different direction.
The 76ers selected Baylor University’s VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick.
Edgecombe was named the 2024-25 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors after averaging 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 32.7 minutes in 33 games during his lone collegiate season. He was one of only two freshmen – to average at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals. In addition, his 68 steals last season were tied for the fourth-most throughout the conference and set the all-time record by a freshman in program history.
According to the 19-year-old Edgecombe, who reportedly struggled during his workout with the team, he was unsure whether the 76ers would select him.
“No, I had no clue what was going on,” he said after the selection. “I was like, ‘I’m just living in the moment until they tell me that I’m going there when I was at the table.’ Like 15 seconds before they drafted me before the commissioner called my name. They didn’t tell me nothing. It was still up in the air about what was going on.”
Currently, the 76ers have Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain in the backcourt, and the team could still re-sign Quentin Grimes. At this point, Edgecombe is unsure of his role with the team next season.
“It’s the NBA; they ain’t going to promise you nothing,” he said. “You’ve got grown men fighting for their jobs. I’m just going in there; whatever Coach needs me to do, I’m going to go do. That’s it. Whatever Coach needs me to do, I’m going to go do. If that requires me coming off the bench, if that requires me starting, playing alongside both Maxey and McCain, playing with one of them at the same time, it don’t matter. I’m just going there to play. Like I said, whatever Coach Nurse needs me to do, I’m going to go do it.”
Edgecombe grew up in the Bahamas before moving to the U.S. While there, he struggled with poverty, and he credits his mother and grandmother for helping him through those difficult times.
“Man, what was going through my head is how are we going to get electricity to stay on without it turning off in the middle of the night when we were sleeping,” he said. “It was just tough times. But like I say, my mom, my grandma, they work hard every day to make sure that we slept good at night, make sure everything was well. It was just credit to them.”
The 6’5” Edgecombe, who some have compared to Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo, is a very athletic player who needs to continue to improve his shot. However, he is a decent defender, and he’ll at least make an impact on that end of the floor next season.
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