Sixers Rookie Talks About Return to Action

When the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Washington Wizards in their penultimate NBA Summer League match, they welcomed back their third overall pick from the recent draft, VJ Edgecombe.

The Bahamian guard missed out on several games due to a right thumb contusion, which he suffered in his debut against the Utah Jazz in the Salt Lake City stretch of games. In his return to the court, Edgecombe dropped 15 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Despite ending the match with 15 points, Edgecombe didn’t get off to the hottest start in the first half, failing to score and convert on any of his seven attempts from the field. Having the right mindset to overcome his lackluster performance in the opening two quarters was something that Edgecombe talked about following the Sixers' win over the Wizards.

“It’s a part of the game, you’re going to miss shots,” Edgecombe told reporters. “I don’t think there has been anyone on Earth that has played basketball and has made every shot. At the end of the day, just got to keep playing basketball, take what they give me.”

When looking into what was the root of his tough start, the Sixers’ rookie failed to make any excuses, but highlighted the slower pace of play in the second half, which allowed him to get acclimated.

“First half, I was just trying to get my foot under me, but there ain’t no excuse, I could just go out there and play hard,” Edgecombe stated. “The second half slowed down… able to make easier reads, get more in the flow, so yeah it was good, I mean we won so that’s all that matters.”

One potential reason for the 19-year-old's slow start that some may have pointed to was his right thumb, but that was yet another thing that was shot down by Edgecombe.

"It was my left hand, so my right hand was fine, I was just missing, that's it, I was just missing shots," Edgecombe said.

Given that the Bahamian, along with a few other of the higher-profile players, didn’t appear in Philadelphia’s Summer League finale against the Dallas Mavericks, his 15-point outing will be the last look they have of him ahead of the preseason in October.