NBA prospect VJ Edgecombe reportedly ‘appeared nervous’ and ‘did not shoot the ball particularly well’ in a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With the 2025 NBA Draft now just a few days away, the Philadelphia 76ers have a major decision ahead as the franchise holds the No. 3 overall pick.
As time winds down and the Sixers’ preferred selection still up in the air, ESPN’s most recent mock draft update has the franchise tapping Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe with the third pick. More intriguing, however, was the reporting of some new intel from the prospect’s visit with the team:
“While sources say Edgecombe appeared nervous during his private workout in Philadelphia and did not shoot the ball particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting, he made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly.”
This sentence has already been making the rounds on social media amongst Sixers circles, with some expressing concern for the report. Some even claim this is evidence to support taking Rutgers’ Ace Bailey at No. 3 instead of Edgecombe.
Bailey had once been largely considered the favorite to go to Philadelphia at No. 3 — in fact, until the tide somewhat turned with his recent cancellation of a visit with the team. Up to the time of writing this (just two days away from the draft) Bailey has not had one known workout with any NBA team.
As a result, the focus amongst Sixers-related discussions had shifted more towards the franchise selecting Edgecombe, who had already visited with Philadelphia, instead at No. 3.
(In my own completely-subjective opinion, I’d rather take the chance on the guy that actually showed up over the guy that didn’t at all… but I’m also not fielding any calls being invited to run any NBA teams, so… grain of salt.)
It’s understandable, though, why Sixers’ fans may have been made a little nervous by this new tidbit about his visit to the franchise — particularly that Edgecombe “appeared nervous during his private workout” and “did not shoot the ball particularly well.” It is the reactionary worry that this isolated incident is actually a forewarning of horrible things to come. Remember Markelle Fultz, anyone?
That being said, right now, it was just an isolated moment. It was just a single workout in which Edgecombe didn’t shoot particularly well. For a 19-year-old NBA-hopeful with the trajectory of his career on the line, I think a little nerves should be expected. Also, for what it’s worth, I don’t believe there’s much available information on any relationship between a player’s pre-draft workout performance and their ultimate success in the NBA.
The fact that the team still felt that Edgecombe “made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly,” even if his shooting was a little off, says to me that the Sixers still viewed the visit as more of a success than a failure.
So maybe Edgecombe is still the guy at No. 3?
Just about 55 hours of waiting left until we find out!
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