Jan 3, 2018; Philadelphia, PA, USA; General view as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) runs across the center court logo during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

NBA Rookie Makes Massive Claim About Sixers

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 9:08 PM ET

VJ Edgecombe certainly doesn’t lack confidence in the Philadelphia 76ers.

He hasn’t had a chance to suit up with the team beyond its Summer League roster, but Edgecombe feels like a healthy Sixers team could make a major run in the Eastern Conference. The rookie feels fortunate to land in the City of Brotherly Love as the third-overall pick.

“I’m blessed to be in this situation,” Edgecombe told Paul George on the latest episode of ‘Podcast P.’

“To be on a team that has a chance to actually win the championship. You know what I'm saying? Healthy, I feel like a healthy Sixers squad, we're going to the chip. You feel me? That’s how I feel.”

Last summer, the Sixers were widely viewed as one of the very few championship contenders in the East. The addition of George and the extension of Tyrese Maxey added a lot of excitement around the Joel Embiid-led team. However, injuries affected the roster everywhere.

The Sixers struggled to the point where they ended up with Edgecombe in the 2025 NBA Draft. Without a top-three pick, they probably miss out on the Baylor prospect. Now that they’ve got him, the Sixers are hopeful that last year was just a fluke, and a result of bad luck in the health department.

With better health and a motivated high-end rookie, the Sixers could be in good shape heading into training camp come late September.

“For training camp, I'm just going in to play hard, but for the year — Rookie of the Year — I definitely want to win Rookie of the Year, man. That would be amazing,” Edgecombe added.

Last season, the Sixers had a candidate for the Rookie of the Year award in Jared McCain. Unfortunately, that campaign concluded in December, as an injury forced McCain out for the rest of the year.

At this point, Ben Simmons remains the Sixers’ last Rookie of the Year winner. Edgecombe would like to be the next, as he’s likely to earn a role in year one.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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