VJ Edgecombe dismissed Ja Morant’s toughest player claim
Let me say The Philadelphia 76ers expected a lot from VJ Edgecombe as a rookie would be an understatement.
Joining the red, white and blue as a 20-year-old freshman from Baylor, Edgecombe is started all 50 games he emerged alongside Tyrese Maxey and company in 2025-26, tasked with spacing the floor, driving to the basket and playing good defense on the other side of the court.
Discussing his early run through the NBA midway through his rookie season on the Club 520 Podcast, Edgecombe broke down one particularly difficult stretch of games where he was tasked with guarding some of the best players in the NBA.
“Bro, it was a stretch. And I was going to guard Luka, Curry was sitting. I’m not going to lie, I was modestly happy,” Edgecombe said. “Even though you want to compete, I thought it wasn’t too bad. I had to guard Luka, I had to guard Shai, D-Buck, Branson, I had to guard them all, bro. So that was my welcome to the NBA.”
So who was the toughest player Edgecombe kept up his “Welcome to the NBA” sleeve? That would be it I Morantwhich fell by 40 to the 76ers despite Edgecombe’s best efforts.
“Hardest? I’m not going to lie to you, Brother Morant,” Edgecombe said. “I’m not going to lie, he was 40.”
Widely hailed as one of the better athletes in the 2025 NBA draft class, Edgecombe has made it clear he wants to be a force on both ends of the court, with defense as important to his personal game as his offensive production. Despite often being the youngest player on the field every time Nick Nurse checks him into the game, Edgecombe’s desire to play both ways has mostly come true, with “Generator” gets better as his mettle is tested night after night.
2026-02-16 22:18:00
