Get to know VJ Edgecombe Jr.
VJ Edgecombe Jr. sits down with Andy Katz to discuss this year's NBA Draft and what he brings to the table.
Overview
VJ Edgecombe was born in the Bahamas and emigrated to the United States for high school. He attended Victory International Institute in Florida for two years before transferring to Long Island Lutheran in New York. As a junior, Edgecombe won a state championship en route to being named New York Gatorade Player of the Year and National Interscholastic Basketball Conference Player of the Year. As a senior, Edgecombe earned McDonald’s All-American honors, and the consensus five-star recruit picked Baylor over Duke and Kentucky. In his lone collegiate season, Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. He posted 44/34/78 shooting splits on 11.5 field goal attempts, 4.6 3-point tries and 4.3 free throw trips per game. Edgecombe was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors.
Analysis
Edgecombe’s two-way potential jumps off the screen. His elite athleticism, paired with a strong motor and high effort, makes him lethal on defense and in transition. He has the ability to hit circus shots around the rim, but he’ll need to be patient and pick his moments better as a pro. Edgecombe profiles as an off guard in half-court sets, but he certainly has the potential to be a ballhandling playmaker if he improves his decision-making. Edgecombe’s ceiling will be as high as his 3-point shot takes him. He was solid at Baylor in that department but needs to make a significant leap to be considered an elite 3-and-D wing in the NBA.
Quotable
“I’ve heard some NBA people compare him to Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, as far as just speed, explosiveness. … [T]hat athleticism and the quick twitch he has to get off the floor, you can’t teach that. Especially in the NBA, when you have more space, he is going to be a problem for a lot of years. “
— Baylor head coach Scott Dre
Some stats & tidbits
Set a Baylor freshman record with 68 steals in 2024-25, tied for the fourth most in the Big 12 … Led all Big 12 freshmen in scoring (15.0 ppg) and ranked third in both rebounding (5.6 rpg) and assists (3.2 apg) … Played his senior season (2023-24) at Long Island Lutheran High School alongside Kiyan Anthony, son of 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony … Lists LeBron James and Diana Taurasi as the best players of all time.
Projection
Edgecombe’s prowess on defense and in transition are similar to Amen (6-foot-7, 200) and Ausar Thompson (6-6, 205), but the twins were taller and stronger coming into the league, while Edgecombe is a better shooter. Jaden Ivey (6-4, 195) has a more comparable frame to Edgecombe, but Ivey had the higher offensive upside while Edgecombe is a better defender. Given his defensive skills, Edgecombe’s floor is similar to a defensive-minded guard like Iman Shumpert (6-5, 220), but his offensive potential is reminiscent of an early Dejounte Murray (6-4,180) or Derrick White (6-4, 190).
— Profile by RotoWire.com