The Sixers are confident VJ Edgecombe will take advantage of his latest bounce-back opportunity

VJ Edgecombe played 35 total games in his one season at Baylor. So after the 76ers selected him third in the 2025 NBA draft, he was told to have a short-term memory during the NBA’s daunting 82-game slate.

And early in the season, he was credited with being mentally tough and having a strong motor. Both were tested this season as the rookie was thrust into a larger role than expected, stepping in as the second option to Tyrese Maxey for wide swaths of the season as Joel Embiid and Paul George missed significant time for injury and suspension, respectively.

In fact, shortly after Edgecombe’s historic 34-point debut against these Boston Celtics in October, he entered a November shooting slump that led to early questions about his adjustment to the NBA grind.

“It’s not weighing on me,” Edgecombe said at the time. “Why I say it’s not is because it’s an 82-game season. Nobody’s going to remember these games early. I mean, I’m a rookie, man. I’ve got to give myself some grace.”

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That approach will be especially critical for Edgecombe in the Sixers’ first-round series against the Celtics, one where his play has been brilliant at times and inconsistent at others. The Sixers have gone as he has, trailing two games to one heading into Sunday’s Game 4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Edgecombe struggled in his NBA playoff debut in Boston, scoring 13 points on 6-for-16 shooting — including 0-for-5 from three-point distance — in a 123-91 Game 1 loss. He followed that up with a record-breaking performance rife with viral moments. Edgecombe became the youngest player in NBA history to produce 30 points and 10 rebounds in the postseason as the Sixers pulled off an improbable 111-97 Game 2 victory.

Yet after another off night in Game 3’s 108-100 loss, Edgecombe finds himself in the same position he entered Game 2. The Sixers are confident that he will rebound just like he has all season after scoring 10 points on 5-for-17 shooting and missing all seven of his three-point attempts.

Kelly Oubre Jr., is one of several players who have served as a mentor for Edgecombe on this veteran-laden Sixers roster. In this case, he told Edgecombe to throw out the short-term memory adage and remember how he played in Boston as he passed Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan on an exclusive list of first-year players.

“I just told him remember what he did when he was in Boston,” Oubre said. “It’s a game of ebbs and flows, and don’t hang your hat on it. We know what you’re capable of, and we all have 100% faith and confidence in you.

“He was just asking me or telling me about certain plays, and I was like, ‘Bro, you weren’t saying this in Boston. You were just flowing, you were going and being yourself.’ So just be you.”

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Edgecombe echoed a similar sentiment himself in March as the Sixers were in the midst of a playoff push. He was fresh off a five-game stretch with multiple 30-point performances, including a March 19 performance with 38 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists.

“I haven’t had time to sit down and sulk and cope on anything,” Edgecombe said.

He certainly doesn’t have time now with the Sixers’ season on the line. Coach Nick Nurse expects Edgecombe to collect himself and bring the right mindset to his latest bounce-back opportunity.

“I think he gets determined, for one,” Nurse said. “And I do, again, think he has a good, level composure. I just don’t think he gets too down or too high or whatever. I just think he’s a competitive kid. Plays with determination. Usually takes him a long way in the bounce-back games.”