The Philadelphia 76ers used their No. 3 overall pick to welcome Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe to the team.
Being a top-three pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the expectations are obviously high for VJ Edgecombe, who enjoyed a stellar one-year stint with the Baylor Bears.
While Edgecombe is a talented prospect, the Philadelphia 76ers were initially planning to draft Rutgers star Ace Bailey.
A key reason behind Bailey’s draft stock falling was his decision to cancel a pre-draft workout with Philly.
With the fiasco now over, former NBA player Jeff Teague has praised the organization for their decision.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesJeff Teague says undrafted Justin Edwards is better than Ace Bailey for Philadelphia 76ers
During a recent episode of the Club 520 podcast, Teague claimed the 76ers already have a player better than Bailey on their roster.
The former NBA player mentioned it’s none other than former Kentucky forward Justin Edwards, who went undrafted during the 2024 NBA Draft.
“They got a player that’s better than him [Bailey] in Philly. Edwards, bro. I swear, Edwards is nice. He just got messed up with that Kentucky system, but he can really hoop,” Teague stated.
Now, that’s some huge praise for an undrafted player. Despite that, Edwards did earn a spot on the 76ers’ roster during the 2024-25 NBA season.
He finished the campaign averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game over 44 contests, including 26 starts under head coach Nick Nurse.
While Edwards has shown signs of excellence, he needs to take care of his fitness. After all, the former Kentucky forward dealt with three separate ankle injuries during his rookie year.
What’s next for Rutgers’ Ace Bailey?
Even before night one of the 2025 NBA Draft, Bailey’s stock was expected to slide. He still ended up being the No. 5 overall pick.
However, he was selected by the Utah Jazz. Immediately, NBA fans wrote it off as the worst landing spot for the talented guard.
During his post-draft interview, Bailey was asked his honest thoughts on the consensus being that he’s unhappy over getting picked up by the Jazz.
“I can control what I can control. They feel how they feel. But my team and me, me focusing on basketball and them doing what they’re doing, so it happens,” Bailey responded.
Ace Bailey on going to Utah:
“I can control what I can control. They feel how they feel. But my team and me, me focusing on basketball and them doing what they’re doing, so it happens” pic.twitter.com/aHkz7QFBVR
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) June 26, 2025
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At the end of the day, Bailey is currently a member of the Jazz, and regardless of whether that was his preferred destination or not, he cannot control it.