VJ Edgecombe can ‘feel the flow’ at TD Garden. Will he meet the moment again in Sixers-Celtics Game 7?
BOSTON – VJ Edgecombe has made a lot of memories in his rookie season, helping the Sixers turn around their fortunes after a miserable 2024-25 season and validating what they went through in a 24-58 campaign at the same time.
A remarkable number of those memories have come on the parquet floor at TD Garden in Boston.
From his historic 34-point NBA debut in October to a 32-point playoff outburst last week, Edgecombe has positioned himself to take the torch Andrew Toney has been waiting to pass since the 1980s. What is it about this building?
“To be honest, I just feel the flow,” Edgecombe said before the Sixers held a Saturday morning shootaround to get in their final pieces of preparation for Game 7 of their first-round series against the Celtics. “Just feel the flow. I just feel the flow. It’s a really good team we’re playing against, so I just feel like I have to step up my game and just be aggressive.”
It is easier said than done for Edgecombe to play with the right level of aggression now that Joel Embiid is back in the fold and serving as the fulcrum of the Sixers’ offense. For a rookie, going back and forth between roles in an instant can be a massive challenge – after averaging 17.7 shot attempts in the three games before Embiid’s return, Edgecombe has averaged 9.3 shots in three games since – but Edgecombe has handled it like a seasoned veteran, finding avenues to capitalize on Embiid’s gravity. He would scoff at the notion that it is a challenge to adjust to playing with the former NBA MVP.
“Man, it’s Joel. It’s Joel Embiid,” Edgecombe said. “He’s just so good. I don’t think anyone can guard him one-on-one. I just try to make his job easier by giving open looks, or if there’s an available pass, outlet pass. It’s great to have him on the floor… He’s just so good at basketball.”
So many rookies, particularly in the backcourt, struggle to find ways to impact winning upon getting acclimated to the NBA environment. Even the ones that show incredible signs of promise usually do not do so in a way that contributes to winning games. But Edgecombe, who now has 82 games under his belt between the regular season and postseason, has been a positive-impact player on both ends of the floor as a full-time starter logging heavy minutes. It has defied expectations in every way.
It all started on opening night, when Edgecombe displayed for the first time just how significant his flair is for the dramatic. The first sign he was not a normal NBA rookie: in his first quarter of NBA action, Edgecombe scored 14 points on nine shot attempts.
That night, Edgecombe played with no fear of the championship pedigree on the other side, the history that has happened in the arena he was stepping into – a lot of which has come at the Sixers’ expense – and, another 20 points later, he had led the Sixers to an emphatic statement win to begin their season.
Despite how brilliant he was in his debut, Edgecombe is a whole lot better now. Where specifically has that improvement come?
“To be honest, everywhere,” Edgecombe said. “Just as a player in general, I feel like I’ve just been getting better and better. When it comes to offense, defensively, I feel I’ve just been getting better.”
Some of the specifics that Edgecombe characteristically did not entertain: He has learned to change speeds effectively, he has become a more sound playmaker, he has become more effective guarding above his size, he has added considerable arc to his shot to become more reliable from beyond the arc and lessons with nine-time All-Star Paul George have helped him become somewhat of a maestro in the mid-range.
Now, the 20-year-old Edgecombe has the chance to help put the Sixers over the top against a 56-win Celtics team that was widely expected to cruise to the second round. Believe it or not, this would be the most significant series victory the Sixers have earned since before Edgecombe was born on July 30, 2005.
Perhaps some comfort on the parquet floor will make a difference. But Edgecombe is looking at what is ahead of him, not what is behind him. He is grateful for the way his first NBA season began at TD Garden. Now, the goal is to make sure this building is not also where the year ends.
“It’s crazy to think about it,” Edgecombe said. “The first game was here. Now we’re in the playoffs playing here. I feel like I’ve been in this building a lot now, and this is my first year… Boston’s a good team, so I know that it’s going to be a real competitive game. So everything else is going to be out the window. All previous times we played here is out of the window. It’s all just focused on tonight.”
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