VJ Edgecombe Reportedly Made 'Strong Impression' on 76ers Ahead of 2025 NBA Draft
With the first two picks in the 2025 NBA draft seemingly locked in, the Philadelphia 76ers have the first big decision at No. 3 overall and could be leaning toward VJ Edgecombe.
Per ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Edgecombe made a "strong impression" on Sixers officials in meetings and interviews that has helped push him into the pole position to be their pick.
Givony did note Edgecombe's on-court workout with the 76ers was a mixed bag because he "appeared nervous" and "did not shoot the ball particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting," but they put more of an emphasis on the interviews.
Ace Bailey is another player who has been linked to Philadelphia leading up to the draft, but his predraft process seems to indicate he would prefer to land elsewhere. The Rutgers guard canceled a workout with Sixers brass last week.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday about his lack of workouts for teams, Bailey generally avoided answering the questions by saying he was "just working on basketball, that's all I'm focused on."
In his final mock draft before Wednesday's first round, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Edgecombe to the 76ers, citing him as a better fit for their roster than Bailey.
"Rival teams think the Sixers could be more drawn to Edgecombe's athleticism and superior analytics, as well as his encouraging shooting development. He averaged the same number of three-point makes as Bailey, who was supposed to be much further ahead in that department," Wasserman wrote.
Edgecombe, the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2024 college class, had a strong freshman season at Baylor. The 19-year-old averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 33 starts.
