CAMDEN, N.J. — The preseason is over for the Philadelphia 76ers and the focus now is squarely on the Boston Celtics on opening night. The Sixers will be counting on rookie VJ Edgecombe to make a big impact as he moves forward with his maiden NBA season.
Edgecombe had 26 points in Philadelphia’s preseason finale as he showed off what he can do on the basketball court. He played with blinding quickness, astonishing athleticism, and an ability to just explode on the break for easy baskets. It was a very impressive showing for the No. 3 pick in the draft.
With that being said, his 3-point shot is still a work in progress. He shot 2-for-6 from deep in the finale and shot 4-for-16 from deep across three preseason contests. However, coach Nick Nurse sees progress from Edgecombe and the confidence that he will be consistent with that shot.
“Progress has been really good, like, from technically, the things that we’ve done, he’s corrected,” Nurse said of Edgecombe’s shot. “He really has worked hard on it, and now to me, it’s just a matter of getting them up there. I know it sounds funny, but he’s got to take them in real NBA games and meaningful shots, and to me, it’s just a matter of time. Even if it goes like this for a while, it’s just a matter of time.”
Edgecombe has a maniacal work ethic. He just wants to ger better every single day and that will help him in the long run. He was working with assistant Rico Hines after practice on Sunday to get more reps on his jumper.
“You got to get those reps into you,” Nurse added. “I think the best thing is the opportunities are there, the guys are collapsing down, finding him. Like, he’s got some good looks, and I’m super confident he’s going to make them. When that’s going to be? Well, he made a couple the other night, after he hadn’t made any, but his work and his numbers in this setting? Outstanding. So again, just to consider like when it gets swung over to him, and he’s getting ready to pull it, I’m very excited, because I’m expecting it to go in because of the work that he’s put in.”
As long as Edgecombe continues to work on that shot, then he is going to be in a good spot. The Sixers will take some shooting struggles in the early part of his career as long as he continues to make an impact on both ends of the floor as he showed in the summer league and the preseason.