Rookie VJ Edgecombe Makes History in Series-Tying Outburst

It’s not often an NBA rookie is able to make an impact in the postseason. Even the talented ones struggle to impact the game when the NBA Playoffs hit.

Luckily for the 76ers, rookie VJ Edgecombe doesn’t fit into that.

Edgecombe has long has unabashed confidence, dating back to his days hitting big shots for the Baylor Bears. That exact confidence, paired with his ability to impact both ends of the floor at a high level, eventually saw him as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, landing him in Philadelphia.

From there, Edgecombe would put together a notable debut season in the NBA, outdone only by Rookie of the Year candidates in Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Hornets’ wing Kon Knueppel, who saw some of the better rookie seasons in some time.

Edgecombe himself was only a step behind, going for 16.0 points on 44% shooting, with 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game to boot. Edgecombe shot 35% from three on 5.6 attempts per game, even blowing away expectations there from both a volume and efficiency perspective.

All of his season-long successes culminated in Game 2 versus Boston in the first round, where Edgecombe was able to star, make history and lead his team to victory.

The rookie finished with a team-high 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting, trailing only MVP candidate Jaylen Brown in the game. He hit six blistering triples on 10 tries for a 60% clip, and stayed true to his do-it-all ways by adding 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

VJ EDGECOMBE TONIGHT:

30 POINTS
10 REBOUNDS
2 STEALS
12/20 FG
6/10 3PT

A YOUNG SUPERSTAR HAS BEEN BORN pic.twitter.com/CUulXjnBOQ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 22, 2026

Even more, Philadelphia was able to grab the win, flipping home-court advantage on the second-seeded Celtics with a 111-97 rout. Edgecombe was the largest part of that, finishing as a game-high +17, making plays time and again for a Sixers’ team that desperately needed it.

In doing so, Edgecombe became the youngest player in history to score 30 points and grab 10 rebounds in a Playoffs game. He also became just the second player ever under the age of 20, joining all-time legend Magic Johnson.

Edgecombe's already blown expectations out of the water in just one season with Philly, and he's not yet done writing this chapter. The 76ers and Celtics now head back to Philadelphia for Game 3, with the series tied at 1-1 and the home crowd set to infuse Edgecombe with even more confidence.

Regardless of how it goes the rest of the way, Sixers' fans can take solace in having hit on a contributor at the '25 draft.

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