NBA Exec Says Top Prospect VJ Edgecombe Won't Average 12 Points in NBA
One NBA executive projects that former Baylor standout and projected lottery pick VJ Edgecombe will be held to fewer than 12 points per game in the NBA.
Edgecombe put up 15.0 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting from the field, 34.0 percent shooting from deep and 78.2 shooting from the foul line in 33 games of his lone college season.
"I think he’s more like Cam Thomas than an all-pro player or something like that," an anonymous Western Conference executive told The Athletic's David Aldridge. "But Edgecombe, to me, has more upside (than Thomas). I like him better offensively — athletically. I like him better defensively. I think he’s more of a versatile, all-around player than Cam is. Probably a little more playmaking."
The executive continued, "This kid’s going to score in his own right, too. He isn’t going to be a 12-point-a-game scorer or anything. He’s athletic as hell, so he’s going to get out on the break and get some points there. He’ll do some driving in the half court and get some points there, get fouled. And guys with that profile, who weren’t just horrendous offensive players in college, but who are highly athletic and work at it, they get better offensively in the league. You’ve got unlimited opportunities to work on your game. Everybody’s got practice facilities and the code to get back in."
"I’m not saying he’s going to be a perennial all-pro player, but I think he’ll be pretty good. And I’d be surprised if he failed."
Edgecombe is projected to go to the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 3 pick of the 2025 NBA draft in the latest mock by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.
"Rival teams think the Sixers could be more drawn to Edgecombe's athleticism and superior analytics, as well as his encouraging shooting development," Wasserman wrote.
Wasserman noted that Edgecombe matched Rutgers wing Ace Bailey with 1.6 three-pointers per game in college, and that Bailey "was supposed to be much further ahead in that department."
ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo also sent Edgecombe to the Sixers in their latest mock draft, with Givony writing that the Baylor guard "made a strong impression in a private workout as well as in meetings with the front office and ownership."
Givony noted that Bailey, who initially refused to visit the Sixers, is expected to work out for Philadelphia this week and could potentially sway the franchise's opinion.
If the Sixers pass on Edgecombe, Givony wrote that he is expected to go to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 4, with some possibility the Washington Wizards trade up to grab him.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has previously said his draft approach is to target the "best player available." How Bailey's workout goes this week could influence whether or not the 76ers believe that title belongs to Edgecombe when the draft begins next Wednesday in Brooklyn.
