VJ Edgecombe joined the Philadelphia 76ers this summer as the third overall draft pick. The Sixers now have an exciting young core of ball-handling talent, including Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.
During a recent episode of Paul George‘s “Podcast P with Paul George” podcast, the All-Star forward revealed the franchise had informed him of their intention to draft Edgecombe days before the event.
“Like they just let me know (about the workout) and we had just taken off. By the end of the workout or by the end of that day, they were like, ‘We know who we’re taking.’ And that was before the Ace Bailey stuff was going around. You know, him being linked to us. They felt strong at that point. They were like, ‘We know who we’re taking.’ Like VJ’s our guy. Great, great kid, works hard. You got the resume, the footage backs up everything. So, I knew early who we were going with.”
Edgecombe will now fight for minutes in Nick Nurse’s rotation, with the hope of sharing the floor with George and Joel Embiid. The hope is that he can make an impact this season while showcasing the potential that has him viewed as a potential All-Star of the future.
Sixers’ George Changes Stance on Ace Bailey
George was previously outspoken about Ace Bailey choosing to cancel his workout with the Sixers and his refusal to work out with any NBA team. In an earlier edition of his podcast, George verbalized his opinion on how Bailey’s approach worked out.
“I want to kind of retract what I said. How can we get on a kid that kind of knows what he wants? We’re not in his shoes,” George said. “He wants to do it his way. He’s good enough, he’s got the talent, he’s gonna go where he wants to go. That’s his decision. It could have backfired, but it didn’t. He’s still in a great situation; he still gets to showcase what he could do. He had a great game too. He went crazy, showed his potential, a flash of it.”
Bailey was selected fifth overall by the Utah Jazz. He will now have the opportunity to establish himself as a key part of Utah’s rebuilding project and likely walk into a starting role with the franchise.
George Recently Underwent Surgery
Despite his recent podcast episodes, George is still recovering from a recent offseason surgery following an injury during a recent workout. ESPN’s Shams Charania shed some light on George’s decision to go under the Knife during a July 15 report.
“The doctors felt like this would be an injury that would linger,” Charania said. “For a player that was never healthy all last year, Paul George’s season ended rehabbing from injections on groin and knee injuries. He had a finger injury during the season as well, and now he starts rehab for this knee injury and he will be re-evaluated at the start of this upcoming training camp, but I am told both sides will be cautious with him, want to see Paul George return to that full form Paul George they have not seen in Philadelphia.”
There’s currently no timeline for when George will be back on the court, even in terms of building up his fitness and working out. As such, there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready for the start of the new season. Nevertheless, Sixers fans would likely prefer a later start for the All-Star if it means they get to see him at his best.
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