ATLANTA — The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, but there were some positives for them to build on. Of course, the big one is the performance of Paul George, but rookie VJ Edgecombe had a terrific performance as well.
After committing a turnover and picking up two fouls in the early going, Edgecombe had to go to the bench early. That led to a 3-for-10 shooting start and 1-for-6 from deep in the first half. Instead of letting it bother him, the impressive rookie shook off the slow start, and was able to produce 19 points after halftime and keep the Sixers in it when it looked like the Hawks were going to pull away.
“Obviously, the two quick fouls don’t help,” coach Nick Nurse said after the loss. “I think he was 1-for-6 from 3 in the first half and I think at least two or three of them went in and out—really good corner 3s. I mean, the stroke’s there. Just a little unlucky that those don’t go in. He just stayed with it. I thought he was getting hit a bunch driving tonight. He got down to the rim a bunch and he had to finish and get creative, but he was really good.”
Edgecombe did a good job of settling in–as he has all season–and the impressive rookie continues to get the vote of confidence from his teammates as they all push him to shoot the ball no matter what. It always helps when a rookie has the confidence of a former league MVP.
“Just being aggressive,” Joel Embiid added of Edgecombe. “Being aggressive, taking the shots when they’re available. I think the main thing for him is just stay ready and just keep being aggressive.”
The Sixers will continue to push forward now as they have four days off before facing the New York Knicks on Friday.