Jan. 18, 2026, 7:02 a.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — It can be overwhelming for a rookie to come into the league and try and make an impact right away. Especially, for somebody like VJ Edgecombe with the Philadelphia 76ers as he’s joined a team that’s trying to contend for a title.

As the Sixers move forward, the rookie has been a fantastic piece to this team’s roster, but he has the usual ups and downs. There are times when he has to figure out whether to attack and get his own offense along with trying to make sure guys like Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George get theirs.

After taking only five shots in Friday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Edgecombe received marching orders from Maxey.

“Be aggressive,” started Maxey. “My biggest thing with him is I want him to—every single transition. When he gets a 1-on-1 opportunity, I want him to go. I don’t really care what the outcome is, whether it’s—I think it’s gonna be a layup or a foul, or he’s gonna create a play for somebody else. Those are the ones I really want him to just start being aggressive at. (Jaylon) Tyson picked me up basically full court the entire game, face guard.”

Maxey has gone through the same development Edgecombe is currently going through right now. When Maxey was a younger player, he received the same instruction from former teammate James Harden and it was a struggle at times for him to figure out. So, he knows what it’s like.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

“I told him, I remember when I was in his shoes, when James was here, James used to tell me like this is your time,” Maxey added. “They’ll play 4-on-4, the keys are handed to you, and you go down here and make plays, and that’s what we’re going to need him to do. So, I have a better job of just getting the ball more and tell him to be aggressive.”

With that being said, as mentioned above, Edgecombe is in a unique situation. The high picks in the draft are normally joining teams that haven’t won in a while and they need a foundational piece to build around. That isn’t the case in Philadelphia. He has handled every challenge with the poise of a 10-year veteran, and it’s now all about making sure he understands that he needs to be aggressive in most situations.

“It’s definitely a process, man,” Maxey finished. “He’s played so many different roles for us this year. He’s got the score, he’s got to lead lineups, he’s had to guard the best player, and he’s just growing every single day, and he’s doing a really good job of handling it all. Most rookies come in at top three pick not on a playoff team or a team that’s trying to win. So that’s what we trying to do. Trying to win. He’s just done a great job of playing different hats.”