Joel Embiid Sends Strong Message on VJ Edgecombe's 76ers Future

The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a blowout loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series, sealing their fate with a 0-4 series sweep.

While the 76ers’ 2025-26 season came to a screeching halt in Round 2, their playoff run began with an improbable first-round victory over the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics - coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to win Game 7.

Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe played a massive role for the 76ers in his first career playoff appearance, averaging 14 points, 6.1 rebounds 3.4 assists per game across 11 contests. In a Game 2 victory over the Celtics in Boston, the 20-year-old rookie recorded a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Joel Embiid believes the 76ers have their player of the future in Edgecombe.

“VJ is up next. Philly got a good one in him,” Embiid said after the 76ers’ Game 4 loss. “He’s the guy. I’m telling you guys, [Edgecombe] is something different.

“This was only year one. Year 2 is gonna be better. Year 3 even better. He has a chance to be extremely special.”

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The 76ers drafted Edgecombe with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game through 75 regular-season appearances, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Dallas’ Cooper Flagg and Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel.

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“Coming into next year a team won’t ever leave me open,” Edgecombe said after Game 4. “During the regular season I was shooting the ball pretty well. Playoffs come it’s a different vibe. Intensity, fire, closeouts are a lot quicker. .. I’m gonna work, I’m gonna work, I’m gonna work. That’s all I’m gonna do, whatever I gotta do to get better.”

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 7:40 PM.