The Philadelphia 76ers have built an All-Star team for the 2026 NBA season. They have a top-two all-time player in LeBron James, a league MVP and two-time scoring champion in Joel Embiid, a Finals MVP and five-time All-Star in Jaylen Brown and an All-NBA scorer in Tyrese Maxey, but their most important player this season might be a 21-year-old kid from the Bahamas.
During Philadelphia’s media day, Maxey said second-year guard VJ Edgecombe will be the straw that stirs the drink for the 76ers this year.
“VJ is going to be probably, if not our most important player. He’ll be extremely important for us,” Maxey told reporters. “We’re going to need his youth. We’re going to need the energy every single day. He’s going to have to be the same person every single night. Some nights you’re going to have to be 10 points, eight rebounds, four steals. Some nights you’re going to need him to get 20 (points). Some nights we don’t know what we’re going to need him to do. He has to be that steady, that rock every single night, and I think he’s up for it.”
Edgecombe is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Even more impressive than his stats, though, was his confident demeanor. Despite being a 20-year-old rookie, Edgecombe played with the confidence of an NBA veteran and consistently went up against the opposing team’s best player.
Playing alongside a few all-time greats won’t intimidate him in the slightest.
“He’s a winner, so he’s gonna do whatever it takes to win. I’m proud of him, extremely proud of him because he’s grown as a player over the summer,” Maxey said. “I’ve watched him, and he’s growing as a person maturity-wise. He’s gonna be ready for the moment.”