PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are 2-0 following their 125-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night to open the home schedule. The focus for the Sixers following the contest was the play of Quentin Grimes, who made the go-ahead triple late, and Andre Drummond down the stretch, but rookie VJ Edgecombe once again made a difference.
He didn’t have the 34 points he had in his debut in the win over the Boston Celtics, but he had 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and did a helluva job defending Charlotte’s guards. It’s clear and obvious that Edgecombe has an understanding of how to play this game and he’s caught the eye of Joel Embiid who wants to see more out of the No. 3 overall pick.
“Great mentality,” Embiid said of Edgecombe. “Whether shots are going in or not, always play the right way, make the right plays. I think tonight he had eight assists. So, letting the game come to him. In Boston, he made shots, he attacked. I thought tonight, he was a little shy—not shy, but he wasn’t attacking enough. He’s just gotta keep going. He’s got space. Attack. He’s way too athletic for someone to be in front of him. Then, once he jumps, you got no chance.”
To Embiid’s point, there were a few opportunities for drives when Edgecombe decided not to attack, but he made up for it in other ways. He was helpful on the defensive end. He was grabbing big rebounds. He was making defensive stops. He made plays with his passing. He and Tyrese Maxey once again formed a tough backcourt for teams to scheme against.
“You gotta keep being aggressive, but also letting the game come to you, and that’s what he did tonight,” Embiid continued. “Every night, I said it after the first game, every night—it might be Tyrese. It might be me. It might be him. It might be someone else, but still gotta play the right way. Some nights, you’re not gonna score. How else are you gonna contribute? He’s doing it defensively and sharing the ball.”
Edgecombe has received a lot of praise from his teammates for being a mature player for being so young. He looks like a pro out on the floor despite being only 20 years old and having a grand total of just two games under his belt. Embiid did push back on the “mature” aspect, but he did point out two big attributes that will help him along the way.
“I wouldn’t say he’s mature,” Embiid pondered. “He’s learning. He’s young. I think two of his main attributes, and how I know he has a chance, is he works hard and he listens. He wants to learn. Always asking questions, even though they might be dumb sometimes (he joked), he’s willing to learn and he listens and that’s gonna go a long way, but he has the right mindset, but yeah. Just gotta keep going. It’s only been two games, but he has a high ceiling.”
The Sixers will take on the Orlando Magic on Monday looking for a 3-0 start.
