PHILADELPHIA — As Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe continues to go through the rigors of the NBA schedule, he is quickly learning about shooting slumps, how teams game plan for him, and seeing teams multiple times a year.

After a hot start to the season, Edgecombe has cooled down a bit. He is shooting just 3-for-17 from deep over his previous four games and has been unable to really find his rhythm. On the flip side, he did knock down a huge 3 late in Tuesday’s win over the Boston Celtics. It wasn’t pretty as it hit the back room before bouncing high in the air and finally dropping, but it was a big moment for him after a pass from Tyrese Maxey.

“It’s been a rough couple games, but I won’t stop shooting the ball,” Edgecombe said after the win. “I’m gonna continue to shoot the ball if I’m wide-open. If it’s the right shot, I’m gonna shoot the ball. Credit to Reese for getting the ball to me. He was being doubled and I was wide-open and credit to him for getting the ball to me, man, but I won’t stop shooting.”

When the ball finally dropped through to give Philadelphia a 100-96 lead with 2:20 left, it gave Edgecombe a sigh of relief.

“It felt good,” Edgecombe revealed. “Once it hit back rim, I said ‘Ahh’, but then it bounced up. I was like ‘OK, maybe I have a chance’ and then it went in, but man. It’s been a rough couple games, but the win is all that matters.”

The NBA schedule can be rough. It’s 82 games filled with back-to-backs, road trips, late nights, a ton of minutes, and that can be a lot for Edgecombe to handle. Throw in the slump and one has to wonder if it’s weighing on his shoulders.

“It’s not weighing on me,” he said succinctly. “The reason it’s not is it’s an 82-game season. Nobody’s gonna remember these games early. I’m a rookie, man. Just gotta give myself some grace. Obviously, I set a pretty high standard with that good debut scoring the ball, but at the end of the day, I just wanna win. That’s the main thing for me. I just wanna win and some shots haven’t been falling for the last couple nights, but I can’t let that determine the rest of my season.”

Veteran Andre Drummond recently told Edgecombe to just stay in bed during the team’s most recent off day. The rookie listened as he hung out in bed to really just rest his body. That’s something he ha learned about handling the NBA schedule.

“I watch basketball, sit on my couch with my feet up, and my boots. My recovery boots,” Edgecombe explained. “Sleep. Sleep is important, man. We’re gonna be on the road a lot. After games, you’re gonna have to travel, get in at 3:00 in the morning, and have to get up for shootaround, and something like that. So, I’m still trying to find a routine, but overall, it’s been good.”

The Sixers will now have two days off before they face the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Cup on Friday.