NBA Draft Insider Reveals Concerning Detail About Top 76ers Prospect

In this story:
After the first two picks fly off the board in Wednesday night’s 2025 NBA Draft, the event will get really interesting when it’s the Philadelphia 76ers’ time to make a pick.
Following the NBA Combine, the Sixers were heavily linked to the Rutgers star Ace Bailey. At this stage of the pre-draft process, everything has shifted. Bailey is no longer the consensus third pick, as Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe has moved into the picture.
Lately, Bailey has been gaining a lot of criticism due to the fact he hasn’t paid a visit to any teams. While that pumped up Edgecombe’s value for the Sixers, one recent detail of Edgecombe’s visit to Philadelphia wasn’t exactly inspiring.
According to ESPN’s Jonathon Givony, Edgecombe’s actual workout with the Sixers wasn’t picture-perfect. The soon-to-be rookie “appeared nervous” and didn’t shoot the ball “particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting.”

It wasn’t all bad for Edgecombe, though. The NBA Draft expert added that a strong impression was still made during the interview and meeting process. It was noted that the front office values that aspect of a pre-draft visit more highly than a workout.
It’s true that pre-draft workouts should be taken with a grain of salt. Some players who struggle during those sessions can still pan out to be valuable additions to a team. After all, it takes time to develop at the NBA level. There have been plenty of players who also dominated their pre-draft workouts and struggled to make a long-term impact after getting drafted.
The Sixers have plenty of tape on Edgecombe. The young guard just wrapped up a 33-game run at Baylor, where he spent an average of 33 minutes on the court.
Edgecombe was a two-way standout in the NCAA. Offensively, he made 44 percent of his shots and knocked down threes at a 34 percent clip, taking 4.6 per game. He posted averages of 15 points and three assists. Defensively, Edgecombe averaged six rebounds, one block, and two steals per game.
Despite the reported struggles during his workout, Edgecombe still seems to be the favorite for Philadelphia at No. 3 with the draft just days away. It’s been suggested that Ace Bailey’s decision to cancel his visit with the Sixers last week didn’t affect his chances of getting taken at three. But all signs continue to point to Edgecombe at this time.
Latest on Philadelphia 76ers’ 2025 NBA Draft
Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia
Follow @JGrasso_