V.J. Edgecombe

VJ Edgecombe is a sensational athlete with a solid level of base skills, but areas that he still needs to develop if he wants to be an All Star in the NBA.

Offense

VJ Edgecombe is a fast, aggressive downhill slasher who thrives in transition and early offense. When he can attack closeouts or catch defenders off balance, he gets to the rim with force and speed. If he finds a seam in the defense, he can accelerate in a near straight-line and has the explosiveness even off of one leg to finish strong. VJ is very explosive in space. He gets up fast and explodes for some highlight dunks.

Edgecomb has good, but not great handles. His first step is strong, and he can beat defenders with short, direct moves. He uses crossovers, hesitations, and spins effectively when attacking a seam, but doesn’t have the kind of shake or deception to consistently break defenders down in isolation. His handle is compact and functional and he can string together multiple moves, but he is not as advanced as some of his peers like Dylan Harper or Jeremiah Fears.

VJ could also use better counter moves, if his initial move doesn’t work he either still throws up a layup or spins on his pivot. Only seems to use a limited set of moves, doesn’t really even use many escape dribbles to set up an easier shot or hostage dribbles to hold his man at bay and survey his options. Likes to make a quick move and just get to the hoop and figure out how he is going to pass or score along the way.

In the paint, he’s physical and fearless, using his strength and body control to absorb contact and finish through it. He’ll lower his shoulder and power through defenders or contort midair to get his shot off.  He also, has good footwork, can use a mix of Eurosteps, step throughs, and manages to slither through traffic at times to create scoring angles and he has the strength to absorb or initiate contact and score, uses shoulders to create an angle and hold off defenders. However, his touch is inconsistent, particularly when he’s crowded. He doesn’t yet have a reliable floater or short-range jumper, and when he can’t get all the way to the rim, his efficiency drops. He can have a tendency to just jump up into defenders at time and can shoot contested layups and can be a bit stiff running into someone and then trying to lean back and score with the space he created.  Would benefit from further developing his runner, 10 foot jumper, or something for when he has a step, but needs to score earlier.

As a shooter, VJ is streaky but has a solid foundation to build on. He’s capable of hitting spot-up threes and can knock down pull-ups off one or two dribbles, especially when stepping into them in rhythm. His form is fairly compact, but his release can vary, he sometimes rushes his shot or drifts, especially when pulling up off movement or at odd angles. His footwork can get sloppy, and he doesn’t always square up cleanly.  However, he shows promise here and when he drives, he has the ability to stop on a dime, which is impressive given his speed, so if he is able to smooth out his midrange jumper off the dribble, it would be a major weapon.

Edgecomb’s off-ball movement is active, whether running around designed actions, cutting to the hoop, or relocating on the three point line to create a better passing angle or better spacing. In transition, he sprints the floor and puts pressure on the defense, either running to the rim or spacing out for a trail three. He also reads defenders well for backdoor cuts and quick slips.

As a passer, Edgecombe “checks all the boxes,” but is still a bit more reactive than anticipatory.  He can sense double teams and does a good job hitting the open man. He can hit the roll man, find cutters, or swing the ball when needed, but he’s not creating passing windows or manipulating defenders. Good passers both off the live dribble and when stopped, and can make all of the necessary passes, crosscourt, inside, outside, skip passes, to his roll man, etc. Would call his overall vision and passing good to very good, but not great or elite.  And while he has decent touch, he can be loose with accuracy. He occasionally forces passes into traffic or misreads help defenders, resulting in turnovers.

When VJ gets sped up, his decision-making suffers. He can jump without a plan or try to force a shot through multiple defenders, leading to wild finishes or giveaways. He also has moments where he mishandles the ball or tries to go too fast before securing the catch.

On the glass, he’s an active offensive rebounder. He crashes hard from the wing and can rise quickly for tip-ins or second-chance dunks. His quick second jump and strong hands make him a threat around the rim, especially against smaller guards.

Overall, Edgecombe is a strong all around offensive player.  He has good awareness and can be seen pointing and directing teammates.  His athletic tools and aggression make him a dangerous scorer and creator, but he still needs to refine his handle, improve his touch, and grow as a decision-maker to expand his offensive role in the NBA.

Defense

Edgecombe’s defense is built on elite tools and effort. He has quick feet, long arms, and strong instincts, giving him the potential to be a high-level on-ball and team defender. He moves well laterally, has good change of direction both north to south and east to west, and can absorb contact without getting knocked off balance.

At the point of attack, he’s disruptive and engaged. He plays low, keeps his chest in front, and uses his hands actively to poke at the ball or tip passes. He does a good job anticipating crossovers or spin moves and rarely bites on fakes. He can switch across guards and wings, using his strength and agility to hold up against a variety of matchups.

His closeouts are generally sharp and aggressive. He can cover ground quickly and contest shots with his length, but he occasionally over-commits or flies past shooters. When locked in, he can recover and still contest from behind or rotate to cover mistakes, but his timing and discipline still waver at times.

VJ is a very switchable defender, who on any number of screens by his man simply switched and guarded the ball handler.  However, while he is a multi-positional defender, he’s not quite a two level defender yet, at least for big men who can play the post. Even decent NBA prospects like Houston’s Jojo Tugler were able to bully him for good position and score relatively easily. Credit to VJ for fighting them and trying to make life hard (no lack of effort), but his 185 pound frame isn’t ready for it. His post defense was either him forcing a turnover or the opposing big wing / big man scoring what felt like 80% of the time.

Off the ball, Edgecombe is a playmaker. He jumps passing lanes, digs down to disrupt post entries, and rotates well from the weak side. His quick hands and instincts allow him to poke or grab the ball away for steals and deflections.  Any type of cross court pass is basically baiting Edgecombe to anticipate and break on the ball and take it the other direction.  He’s great at turning turnover into instant offense.  Though he does gamble a bit too much either jumping at passes or swiping for steals and making himself vulnerable to countermoves, which can leave him out of position, though he can at least try to recover quickly thanks to his burst and anticipation.

Edgecombe is an active team defender who communicates, rotates, and brings energy. He’s willing to help and switch, and his ability to cover ground lets him take on a roamer role at times.  And he’s generally smart about tagging rollers or helping down low when bigs rotate. However, he can be overeager, biting on backdoor cuts, helping too early, or drifting out of position trying to make a play.

VJ has shown flashes as a rim protector, especially in transition or when rotating from the weak side. His vertical pop and timing allow him to block shots, but he’s not a true shot blocker or primary rim deterrent. In the post, he competes but lacks size to hold up against stronger wings or bigs. He’ll fight and contest, but can get sealed off or moved easily. He doesn’t give up on plays, but physically, he’s more of a guard/wing stopper than a switch-everything defender at this stage.

On the defensive glass, he’s active but not dominant. He’ll track down long rebounds and fight for position, but doesn’t always box out. Bigger players can move him under the rim, and he sometimes leaks out early looking to run in transition.

VJ is little bit of a frustrating player defensively. Really seems to have most of the tools specifically could be a great wing defender. And when he’s locked it engaged it’s really bright to do a very good job. But it time just seems like he’s going through the motions or gets too caught up, trying to anticipate a steal or make a big play.  I also don’t love how Edgecombe could get caught on or go under screens at times. Has some good clips fighting too. Difficult part is Baylor switched or ran zone enough, just not as much tape on him navigating screens as I would like.  Maybe a skill he needs to learn in the pros.

Overall, Edgecombe could be high-impact perimeter defender with the potential to be versatile and disruptive. With added strength and more consistency off the ball, he could be a plus defender who racks up steals and is generally switchable to a point.

Note: I do have some worry like I did with Jaden Ivey coming out of school that VJ plays such a hard, physically aggressive style despite not being overly large himself that he could deal with injuries, especially early in his career as he learns to pick his spots better