Former NBA Star Feels VJ Edgecombe has Changed Sixers' Vibe

The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to quite a hot start this season, improving their record to 5-1 following their win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.

There are a few fingers to point when it comes to who can be credited for the Sixers’ surge from the start, with Tyrese Maxey certainly being one of them.

The former Kentucky star has put Philadelphia on his back on several occasions through the opening six matches of the season, taking to the court for 40 minutes or more for four straight games. Given this run of game time, Maxey is averaging 33.7 points and nine assists per night, which was enough for him to be named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday afternoon.

If there’s been a second player to really help push Philadelphia over the line in some of their close games, it would be Kelly Oubre Jr, who has had some of his better performances in a Sixers uniform as of late. You could take either his 25-point, ten-rebound night against the Orlando Magic or his 29-point game against the Nets, which saw him dominate the first half, just to name a few of his big moments this season.

While Maxey and Oubre have gotten off to their own respective hot starts to the season, the same can certainly be said for rookie VJ Edgecombe.

The Sixers’ third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has taken the league by storm through his opening six appearances, averaging 20.3 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game, with his offensive output leading the rookie class, with the Memphis Grizzlies' Cedric Coward being his closest competitor with 15.3 points a night.

Jeff Teague weighs in on the Sixers' rookie

But this isn’t what caught the eyes of former All-Star Jeff Teague, who feels like Edgecombe has brought something different to the Sixers, a type of energy that the team has embraced.

“I think this VJ kid has changed the vibes, we obviously know how good Tyrese Maxey was, and him being healthy changes their team, but VJ has just brought a different kind of energy,” Teague explained. “It’s like the team kind of adapted to his energy a little bit… he’s trying to dunk crazy, like I think he just brought an energy to this team.”

VJ Edgecombe dunks are a thing of beauty. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/w08ORkYr2p
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 3, 2025

Edgecombe’s confidence when it comes to taking the ball to the rack has been highlighted since his debut in the preseason, when he attempted a poster dunk on the New York Knicks’ center Mitchell Robinson, or when he put down a thunderous slam against the Nets on Sunday evening.