Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe navigating new role as a top scoring option: ‘It’s all a learning process’

It looked like the 76ers’ possession in Sunday’s final minute had been stonewalled, as VJ Edgecombe kept dribbling, and dribbling, and dribbling against stout Portland Trail Blazers defender Toumani Camara.

But then the Sixers’ rookie somehow created a sliver of space to rise and fire just before the shot clock expired, sinking a heavily-contested fadeaway jumper that gave his team a six-point advantage with 43.8 seconds remaining.

“I know they can’t block it, because I jump high on my jump shot,” Edgecombe said after the game. “I work on it all the time, though — those late-game situations.”

» READ MORE: Second-half surge helps Sixers beat Blazers to secure second win in a row

The ball in Edgecombe’s hands down the stretch of an impressive 109-103 victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena is part of the rookie’s new reality as a primary offense-generator as a scorer and ballhandler — at least while his team is missing four starters. So is the 20-year-old being guarded throughout the game by three Trail Blazers who have all made an NBA All-Defensive team in Camara, Jrue Holiday, and former Sixer Matisse Thybulle. So is being atop the opponent’s scouting report on Saturday, when the Brooklyn Nets aggressively double-teamed Edgecombe for what he calls the first time in his basketball life.

It is the latest developmental step in what already has been a successful debut season for Edgecombe at a critical time for a 37-31 Sixers team fighting for postseason positioning with 14 games remaining.

“It’s not easy to just go from playing alongside a top scorer in the NBA [Tyrese Maxey] to now being the No. 1 option, or whatever you want to call it,” Edgecome said Thursday night. “I just go out there and make plays. Just keep my head up and make plays, for real. …

“I’ve got to just go out there and just try to will my team. Just bring energy. Create energy. Instill confidence in my teammates.”

Edgecombe’s increased responsibility arrives while making his own return from injury, after he missed three games with a back bruise from a hard fall in the Sixers’ March 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

He eased back into last Tuesday’s victory over the Memphis Grizzlies by lingering along the perimeter, before “sparking” the Sixers’ comeback on both ends of the floor, coach Nick Nurse said. Edgecombe then slogged through a 3-for-14 shooting performance in Thursday’s blowout loss at the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, who thrive on physicality, yet still served as a team spokesperson by holding a postgame media session. Against Brooklyn, he scored 10 of his 16 points in the first quarter by mixing explosive drives with jumpers, then turned quiet as a scorer but finished with seven assists.

Sunday night, Edgecombe picked up his fourth double-double with 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Though his 8-of-18 mark from the field was so-so, he buried two shots in the final two minutes to help hold off Portland’s rally attempt.

» READ MORE: The Sixers’ injuries are mounting. Now they must focus on avoiding a repeat of last season’s unraveling.

Edgecombe’s current situation is what most top-5 draft picks face throughout their rookie season, as future franchise cornerstones learning on the fly for rebuilding (aka, bad) teams. Instead, Edgecombe had the benefit of joining a Sixers team already with three max players on the roster and that had become a playoff mainstay, except for last season’s injury-riddled disaster that resulted in them landing the NBA draft’s third overall pick.

The 6-foot-4 guard has been an excellent complement to Maxey and, when available, Joel Embiid and Paul George. Edgecombe’s electric athleticism and beyond-his-years basketball IQ made him an impact player on both ends of the floor. He could push the pace off rebounds and steals.

So the healthier version of the Sixers could often withstand a quieter scoring night from Edgecombe, especially given his knack for fourth-quarter shot-making. He entered Sunday averaging 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 60 games.

After the All-Star break, however, Edgecombe began to find success with midrange jumpers, confidently saying, “I know my spots on the floor. I know where I want to get to.” Attacking open-floor drives to get all the way to the rim has been an even bigger focus, Nurse said, even if Edgecombe’s struggles to convert once there (55.9% on shots from less than five feet away entering Monday) are comparable to most rookies.

“My teammates give me grace sometimes, let me make little mistakes,” Edgecombe said. “But it’s all a learning process for me. … I know I’m faster than most. I can jump higher than most. So I just try to get to the rim.”

Added Nurse: “Even if it’s one-on-two sometimes, he can split through there and elevate and figure it out in the air a little bit. … He’s making some tough one-on-one shots, but I think he’s showing the ability to do that pretty consistently.”

» READ MORE: ‘The best of the best’: Matt Cord is leaving the Sixers after 28 years

Nurse said Saturday he wants Edgecombe to aim for 20 shots per game while the Sixers are so short-handed. It was a clear nod to the figure the coach emphasized with Maxey during his ascent to becoming two-time All-Star and one of the NBA’s top scorers while Embiid dealt with numerous injuries.

Getting those attempts off now requires Edgecombe to navigate those double teams. The rookie recently admitted to Maxey that he hates encountering that extra attention, but recognizes it is a sign of respect.

Quentin Grimes, who faced similar defenses as the Sixers’ leading scorer during the “tank” portion of last season, had a simple “Don’t fight it” message for Edgecombe during Saturday’s game. That reminder, Grimes said, quickly led to an Edgecombe lob pass to center Adem Bona for an alley-oop dunk. Fellow teammate Justin Edwards suggested that Edgecombe try screening like Maxey, perhaps causing a defensive miscue that would shake Edgecombe open. And Nurse emphasized making “one clean pass” when multiple defenders converge, because then the rest of the Sixers on the floor are playing 4-on-3.

Following Saturday’s win against Brooklyn, Edgecombe added that he was eager to immediately dissect the game film to learn how to better combat such schemes.

“I’ve just got to keep asking questions,” Edgecombe said. “Try to figure out how to get through everything.”

Edgecombe, however, encountered an entirely different strategy against Portland. The Trail Blazers relied on their stout perimeter defenders to guard Edgecombe one-on-one.

His shooting stat line will not pop off the box score. But with Portland staging a fourth-quarter surge, Edgecombe dribbled into the lane and elevated for the jumper to give the Sixers a 103-97 advantage with 1:53 to play.

Then came the game-sealing sequence.

Edgecombe said he believed he had Camara “beat” when he initially went right. When Camara stuck with him, Edgecombe tried to counter by reversing course. When he turned around, he noticed the shot clock had dwindled to about two seconds.

“All right, just one-dribble pullup,” he said to himself.

Welcome to Edgecombe’s new reality as one of the Sixers’ primary offensive options — at least until his teammates begin to return.

“He’s kind of been doing stuff like that all year, “ Nurse said of Edgecombe. “I know that was probably one of his better shots. But that kid can take it to a spot and vault up and get a shot off, which is invaluable in this league — especially in tough games.”