Why VJ Edgecombe Is the Sixers' Key to Getting Past the Knicks

VJ Edgecombe finished as a distant third in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race behind Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel. Based on their respective production during the regular season, it was hard to argue against that. (Whoever had Cedric Coward on their ballot over Edgecombe, however…)

Neither the Mavericks nor Hornets made the playoffs, so Flagg and Kneuppel didn't get a chance to show their stuff on the postseason stage as rookies. Edgecombe's Sixers did, though, and he's taken full advantage.

In Game 2 of the Sixers' first-round series against the Boston Celtics, Edgecombe became the youngest player in NBA history to put up at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game. Five games later, he became the first rookie ever to have at least 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in a Game 7.

As impressive as Edgecombe was offensively at times throughout the series against the Celtics, his defense is what set him apart.

Nick Nurse on VJ Edgecombe:

"(VJ) kind of came out of the halftime and said 'I got (Derrick) White and I'm gonna do better on him,' because White was cooking."

White shot 3-13 (1-9 from 3) in the second half.pic.twitter.com/Y0gEtY3tPy
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 3, 2026

Derrick White had been brutal offensively all series, but he's the only reason the Celtics came back from an early double-digit deficit in Game 7. He finished the first half with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting (including 4-of-7 from deep), four rebounds and one assist.

Prior to Game 7, White had yet to hit more than three triples in any of the first six games of the Sixers-Celtics series.

Edgecombe, perhaps sensing that the Celtics could potentially ride a Derrick White Game to a series victory, took it upon himself to shut the water off for one of the Celtics' leading scorers. That's exactly what he did. White finished the second half with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-9 from deep.

Edgecombe's reward for that is a date with Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson.

How he fares in that matchup could go a long way toward determining whether the Sixers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.

Can Edgecombe stifle Brunson?

Brunson is going to get his in this series. He's averaged at least 26.0 points per game in each of the past three seasons, and he torched the Sixers for 35.5 points and 9.0 assists in their first-round series two years ago.

Granted, the Sixers didn't have Edgecombe then. (Or Paul George, for that matter.)

The playoffs are an entirely different animal than the regular season, but Edgecombe did have some defensive success against Brunson in the latter.

According to NBA tracking data, VJ Edgecombe was the primary defender on Jalen Brunson for a total of 106 possessions in 2025-26.

Interestingly, the only player in the league to spend more time matched up against JB this season was Dyson Daniels, and Edgecombe actually enjoyed… pic.twitter.com/7oOnhAdtcd
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) May 3, 2026

Brunson shot only 42.9% overall and 30.4% from deep against the Sixers in that 2024 first-round series. He just attempted 29.2 shots per game, which is how he still managed to drop 40-pieces on their heads in each of the final three games of that series.

The Knicks have other offensive avenues to turn to now thanks to the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns. OG Anunoby was also a two-way dynamo during the Knicks' first-round thumping of the Atlanta Hawks. But Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are still fairly limited offensively. Bridges won't create much on his own, while Hart does a lot of his damage on the offensive glass.

If Edgecombe can stifle Brunson and limit his efficiency, that'd be a major advantage for the Sixers. But the other end of the floor may be just as important.

When the Celtics sent extra help at Joel Embiid in their first-round series, they were often choosing to leave Edgecombe open along the perimeter. He made them pay for that with a 6-of-10 showing from deep in Game 2, but he went 4-of-23 on three-point attempts across Games 3 through 6. He snapped out of that long-range slump just in time to bury the C's with a 5-of-11 showing from distance in Game 7.

The Knicks figure to replicate that approach and dare both Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. to beat them from deep so they don't leave Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson on an island against Embiid defensively. If Edgecombe can make them pay for that strategy—much like Hart did to the Sixers in 2024—it could help swing the series.

It's unclear whom the Knicks will try to hide Brunson on defensively, but Edgecombe needs to be aggressive whenever he gets matched up against Brunson. The Sixers have to relentlessly target him on that end of the floor, as Hart, Anunoby and Bridges are all plus defenders.

It's a tough ask to rely on a rookie to defend an All-NBA guard in the playoffs. It's even tougher to expect him to be a major contributor on the other end of the floor as well.

But that could be the difference between the Sixers going home for the summer or advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000-01.

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Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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