After the trade for Jaylen Brown made V.J. Edgecombe the 76ers’ fourth-best player, LeBron James joining them in free agency pushed him further down the pecking order.
The 21-year-old Edgecombe, who is just entering his second season in the league, finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. He showed signs of being a potential star player the 76ers could invest in for the long term.
But some former NBA players suggest that LeBron James’ arrival could make the youngster hesitate to accept a further diminished role, as he could be entering contract extension talks next summer.
Al Harrington sat down with Theo Pinson, Raymond Felton, and Charlie Villanueva for an episode of the To the Baha’ podcast, where all the former basketball players raised their concerns about VJ Edgecombe’s future and suggested how the 76ers could navigate this problem.
Here’s a transcript of their conversation from the episode.
Felton: “Those guys are going to get all the attention. I mean, obviously, you got all those guys on the court, you can’t double-team everybody, right? But like he said, though, situations are going to be where VJ is going to have to take those shots.”
“So you have to instill that confidence in him during the season. You can’t make him just go sit in the corner all year because you got all these guys. You still have to win with a team.”
“So LeBron got the ball down in the stretch. He’s gonna get double-teamed. He’s going to make the right pass. We know that about LeBron. And guess who’s going to be the obvious guy open, with all those guys.”
“You ain’t gonna leave Maxey. You ain’t gonna leave JB. You ain’t gonna leave Embiid open. So guess who’s going to be the odd man out? VJ. So he’s gonna be the guy that has to make shots.”Â
Pinson: “That might be the issue.”
Felton: “Why is that going to be the issue, though? I like young fella. I think he can make shots.”Â
Pinson: “End of the game to make a shot: VJ or a shooter like KCP?”
Felton: “I mean, I got to run with it. I mean, KCP is more established. He’s more established.”
Pinson: “If we’re talking about catch-and-shoot, Ray. That’s what I’m saying. You’re not going to leave KCP just sitting there.”
Felton: “But you can’t leave young fella either. And who knows, I’m pretty sure he’s worked this summer. He might come back this year.”
“But KCP over the last two years ain’t shot the ball well. No, I’m just saying. So we got to look at that too.”
Villanueva: “It hurts young fella’s growth though, bro. Compared to last year and what he brought to the table then, now? That’s going to be tough.”Â
Felton: “They want Maxey-VJ to be the backcourt of the future.”Â
Harrington: “He just has to accept another role. Like, I don’t know. I’ve read somebody was saying like he needs to call J.R. and call, uh, Crawford… call Shump and talk to them about like their role. You know what I’m saying?”
“Because, like, think about J.R. Think about just think about J.R.’s talent… I used to call him and be like, “Son, you forgot how to dribble n—a.” As he get it, he threw everything like J.R? What happened? What happened?”
“But he bought into his role. And I get it. Like young fella like VJ is so young. You know what I’m saying? He has so much basketball ahead of him. I think that, like, Bron, you know, I think Bron is going to be such a key to Philly and his communication, especially to VJ.”
“And I don’t know, and I mean maybe maybe you know him and uh Maxey got a good relationship too. Hopefully they do because then he could be another one that could help him.”
“But it has to be like, bro, you’re going to get better. We just need you to defend. We need you to defend. We need you to get offensive rebounds. We need you to do all the dirty s–t; like, if you do the dirty things, we are going to win at a high level. Like that’s your job.”
“And if they can convince him to do that, which it seems like, I mean, that’s kind of his game already, right? He’s a hard player; he plays hard as hell every possession. You know what I’m saying? Like, I honestly thought that he was a poor man’s… coming into the league. I thought he was like a poor man’s Russell Westbrook, just in that I feel like he played hard every possession.”
“It’s just like he was full speed the whole game. You know what I’m saying? So that’s who I would compare him to, poor man’s because Russ is Russ, and who he was if they can play that role for the next two years or the next year, ’cause I think if they win it this year, I think Bron is done. I can’t see him coming back.”
Felton: “Well, Bron is going to be gone, and I don’t think JB is going to stay. I think the backcourt for the future is VJ and Tyrese Maxey. Yeah. I don’t think JB is going to stay that long. I think JB is going to end up going somewhere like the Clippers. That’s my opinion: he’s gonna have his team in LA because ain’t nobody really there.”
Villanueva: “You still think JB wants his own team?”
Felton: “Yeah, I think he does 100%. He wants his own team. I think he did this because this is where he got traded. Yeah. But I don’t think he’ll stay there. I really don’t think JB is going to stay in Philly.”
“I think he’s going to do what he’s got to do to win this year, and I think if they get young fella to buy into that, like this is only a year or two process, young fella. We trying to win. We don’t. These old ass n—-s gonna leave anyway. You feel me?”
Harrington: “Because they can show him the commitment too, because they can pay him. I mean, cut you off, but they’re gonna have to pay him, right? So in another year, whatever happens, they can show their commitment to him and help his confidence by paying him. You know what I’m saying?”
Pinson: “So that’s, and people like Theo, you’re being negative. I’m not trying to be negative. I just want cuz I think VJ Edgecombe could be a star.”
“But the biggest thing for Philly is like I would definitely love to see him be able to do this, and he’s going to have times in the regular season to do this. But that’s not going to be his role.”
“And that’s the question. Would you rather him get comfortable with his role, or would you want him to be like, ‘Oh, you gotta play like this one night, then you gotta play like this another night, VJ.’ Yes. Because that’s the tough part.”
“I think the Sixers need to come to them and just like Al said, they need to go to him and be like, ‘Look, BJ, look, we just had an opportunity. We had to take advantage of the opportunity. You gonna get your bread because we know how this league can be.”
“If he is great at this role, they will keep him at that role. Think about it. If he’s a great slasher, great defender, he’s capable. They’re going to be like, ‘No, you’re good at this. No, you don’t need to do any more.’ That’s what I don’t want for him: for it to happen.”
Harrington: “Well, I don’t think he’s a one. I don’t think he’s a one-talent. Like, I don’t think he’s a one- not one, but I think he’s a three. I think, personally, long term, he’s a three. He’s like the third-best, second-best guy. He’s definitely not like he doesn’t have the talent of being the guy.”
“So I think I agree with you. Like, I think he could slide into whatever role it is, but you are right cuz the league will do that to you fast. It will make you a player like that.”
Villanueva: “This is the hard part though…. he already had a role, right, as a young fella. We saw it. We saw it. And that s–t is elite. So you young like. To tell him to adapt and change your game. We were all young fellas and we balling. Now you want me to do this?”
Pinson: “There’s no better player for you to accept it than LeBron James. That’s what I’m about to say. There’s no better player.”
Felton: “LeBron James and Jaylen Brown come to your team.”
Harrington: “You’ve got to respect that guy, and he’s still young enough. He’s only been a rookie. And I think once again, as we talked about the communication side, the organization has been very clear with him that you are our guy.”
“We just have a chance to win a championship with you. You’re a big part. You’re a starter on a championship team, but we need you to buy into this role, and you’re our guy long term because when we really think about it, we’re going to be honest: when we’re young and our first going into our first contract, all we’re thinking about is the money for real. That’s it. Like we want to play well so we get paid.”
“So if he thinks his money is going to be f–ked up, then yeah, he might be all over the place mentally. But if you know, like, if they’re very clear you’re our guy, I think he can accept the role a lot more. Play with f–king LeBron James, bro. Play with Jaylen Brown and go and see what happens. And go get you a chip, and you two, year two, year three with a chip. You already got that off your list.”
Pinson: “And everybody tells you this: you got to get that second contract. The way VJ Edgecombe was going, the route he was going, you’re not questioning the $200 million for him. Hell no.”
“That’s, and that’s where I worry about that now. I don’t know if I hope he does. Let me tell you something. I don’t know if he gets that.”
Felton: “But he can attack this like a Pritchard.”
Pinson: “See that? No, he’s not Pritchard, right?”
Felton: “I know that. But I say he can attack this situation like a Pritchard because he’s going to have to play a role like Pritchard. But guess what? He’s going to be able to show that when these guys sit down because LeBron James is not going to play all season. Yep. Joel Embiid is not going to play all season.”
“Yes. So, okay. And maybe some games JB get some rest. But guess what? Now go ahead and go out here and show you can get 40.”
Pinson: “But that’s why I said start KCP. You said no. No. No starting. No. But that’s just like Pritchard.”
“He could come off the bench and be you. If I can run minutes with you and Maxey in the second unit.”
Felton: “But you got so many guys that someone is going to be on the court. Oh, they’re not gonna take all four of them out in the game.”
Pinson: “No, that’s why I said you keep Maxey, you take Bron and JB out, and let them two run it, just like they did last year.”
Felton: “But you want to take him out of a starting role, though?”
Harrington: “Don’t take him out of the starting lineup. That’s an awful idea.”
V.J. Edgecombe ended his rookie season averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field and 35.4% from behind the three-point line.
Although Edgecombe is only in the second year of his four-year, $50.5 million rookie-scale contract, the last two years of his contract are team options. Therefore, these veterans rightly pointed out that money could become a concerning factor for Edgecombe as a sophomore.
But they also suggested the 76ers need to reassure Edgecombe internally that their investment in him is a long-term venture, not just a championship window they need to maximize with LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
Three of the 76ers’ projected starting five members are over the age of 30. Therefore, they likely don’t have a lot of years of prime basketball left in them. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are the key young pieces upon whom the 76ers are reliant for their long-term future.
In conclusion, it all depends on how Edgecombe perceives this reduced role. If he sees it as a time to learn from LeBron James, then he could also compete for a championship with him.
But he may also have to accept less than the max contract, valued at over $200 million, if he enters negotiations next summer. But the pressing concern about his contract is only something he needs to worry about two years later. For now, he just needs to clear his head and take it one day at a time.
