NEW YORK – Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe is once again taking to the biggest stage and performing at a high level. The rookie scored 26 points in his second game at Madison Square Garden to help his team beat the New York Knicks 130-119.
This is Edgecombe’s second time appearing and performing on the world’s most famous stage. On December 19, he scored 23 points while harassing Knicks star Jalen Brunson. He performed well on the big stage and once again impressed his teammates.
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“He was born for the big stage,” Paul George said of his rookie teammate. “Obviously, there’s no better stage than this, to play on this iconic stage. This is his second time playing on this stage. So, that’s what you want to see. That’s what you want to see. Someone who’s ready at his age, his confidence, just maturity. That’s elite. That’s definitely elite.”
It’s hard to find more superior words to describe Edgecombe’s performance. The young rookie out of Baylor stepped in and immediately impressed his teammates by giving the Sixers everything they needed on both ends of the floor.
“You don’t have to try to make anything up,” Tyrese Maxey added. “He’s good. He’s good. Like, you say, you’re running out of excuses. Like, man, he’s good this game. And then he’s good the next game and he’s good the next game. Like, maybe at what point do you say he’s good?”
That being said, it’s extremely rare for a 20-year-old to step into the NBA and play with such aplomb. He mixes speed on offense as if he’s been in the league for 10 years. His ability to slow down, analyze a situation and then attack in a way that some players will never develop. Edgecombe has mastered it in 30 games.
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Maxi wasn’t surprised, though.
“For him? No, but for a rookie? Yes,” Maxey added. “I thought it was a play. We had a fast break. He was one-on-one with KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns). He slowed down all the way and didn’t take it. Passed the ball to Joel (Embiid). Joel had Mykal (Bridges) next to him. Joel scored in the paint and, like, I told Twatt (Trenden Watford) on the bench. I thought, man, love that play. It’s a simple game, but, is that too mature for a 20-year-old guy?”
Edgecombe appears to be part of a new wave of players who have just mastered how to play the game at such a high level. He joins recent rookies like San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg who, like Edgecombe, have made a huge impact on the court.
“I think it’s very rare,” coach Nick Nurse added. “I think people are going to ask Wenby about his rookie season, and that’s one thing I always keep, is he just keeps playing. Cooper Flagg did that. It’s pretty rare, but I think these guys, some of them are really good and really believe in what they’re going to do and know it’s a lot of minutes, a lot of games, a long season, all of that, and they have to keep playing.”
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The 76ers will continue their season on Monday at home against the Denver Nuggets.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Multiple Sixers impress VJ Edgecombe again in win over Knicks
