PHILADELPHIA — As the Philadelphia 76ers continue with their push for the playoffs, there will be some things that must be addressed down the stretch of the season.

One of them will be reintegrating Paul George and Joel Embiid back into the fold. The two of them had big nights in Wednesday’s win over the Chicago Bulls as Embiid scored 35 points and George scored 23 in the second half on his way to 28 for the game.

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The gravity that they both possess made life easier for rookie guard VJ Edgecombe to get going as he took full advantage of his opportunities. Playing on the perimeter, Edgecombe was able to take advantage of the Bulls paying a lot of attention to George–who has grown to be a close friend of his.

“Man, it’s amazing,” Edgecombe said of George. “He’s helped me a lot. He helped me a lot. Me and P talk a lot off the court. On the court, he’s helping me work on my game, how I can be better at certain areas. It’s great to see him on the floor. It’s been a long time. It’s been almost two months. It’s been a long time. I know he was itching to get back on the floor.”

However, the Sixers must also make sure that Edgecombe remains involved in the offense. The rookie remained aggressive in Wednesday’s win over the Chicago Bulls when he scored 22 points on an insanely efficient 7-for-9 shooting night. That has to be a priority down the stretch of the season.

“I’ll be honest, I’m staying the same. I’m still gonna be aggressive,” Edgecombe proclaimed. “Still be the same person all the time. It’s gonna be a little easier, if you think about it, with Joel being on the floor, because he requires so much gravity and so much attention, but I’m just trying to make the right play. I’m just trying to make the right play.”

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Making the right play helps, for sure, but the Sixers will need an aggressive Edgecombe the rest of the way. He is going to be a huge part of their success and he will look to be that guy for this group. Especially, as a perimeter scorer next to George and Embiid while Tyrese Maxey continues to heal up.

Therefore, in order for the Sixers to overtake the Raptors in the standings, they will need the rookie to continue to keep going strong and be that guy for this group on a nightly basis. That’s how important Edgecombe has become in this offensive ecosystem.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: VJ Edgecombe discusses Paul George, remaining same player for Sixers