Through the first eight days of the 2025-26 NBA season, it’s hard to say the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t the biggest surprise. With Joel Embiid playing limited minutes and Paul George still sidelined, it’s been Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe leading the way for the Sixers.
Now, after a historic start to his career, Edgecombe is earning top recognition over rival and top draft pick Cooper Flagg. Writing for NBA.com, Steve Aschburner put the first-year player from Philly atop his early Rookie of the Year leaderboard.
“The Baylor wing has all the physical tools he needs and, apparently, the mental approach as well. “I’m a student of the game, so I know where my buckets are going to come from,” he said this week,” Aschburner wrote and quoted on Egdecombe.
In his first four games, Edgecombe is averaging 22.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 47.1% shooting. While Flagg was the expected favorite to finish as the league’s best rookie, he landed fourth on Aschburner’s rankings. After Edgecombe, he had Cedric Coward, Dylan Harper, and then Flagg, followed by Tre Johnson in fifth.
Edgecombe Leading Rookie Of The Year Race
Numbers-wise, Edgecombe is leading all rookies in points, assists, and minutes. While players like Flagg, Harper, and Ace Bailey were poised to lead the race for the award, the Sixers’ rookie has thrived in his significant role on a team with numerous injuries.
With Embiid playing roughly 20 minutes per game, George and Jared McCain still sidelined, Edgecombe, along with Maxey, have taken on extended roles in the offense. The duo combined for the most points by a backcourt in the first three games of the season. For Maxey, the scoring isn’t surprising, but for Edgecombe, it’s an even bigger shock, even just considering the responsibility he’s been given to start his career.
This ROY race is about to be generational.
“Edgecombe’s spirited start in Philadelphia owes much to the court time he’s getting. He’s a runaway leader in rookies minutes, averaging 40 in the Sixers’ first four games,” Aschburner added. “He has outscored his classmates in raw points, too, but not equalized to a more sustainable workload.”
Coward and Kon Knueppel are the only other rookies besides Edgecombe, averaging more than 16 points per game. Flagg, Harper, Johnson, and a few others are averaging double-digit scoring, but Edgecombe’s 22.3 average remains high above the rest.
Aschburner pointed out the increased minutes and responsibility, and the numbers paint a clear picture of that being the case, as he’s taking an average of five more shots per game than the next first-year player. However, according to the team’s decision makers, giving the rookie that type of task was always in the cards.
“It’s not that surprising to me,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said on Edgecombe’s play. “I think he’s this good. I thought it right away.”
The 4-0 Sixers Are Strange
As mentioned, it’s mostly been the backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe leading the way for Philadelphia early in the season. They’ve had some strong help from Quinten Grimes after he agreed to a deal with the team shortly before the season, but regardless, the 4-0 start to the year has caught many by surprise.
There are still questions on Embiid, as he is in the midst of a slow return from a lingering knee injury, but he hasn’t been a major factor in their early success. Neither has George nor McCain, but the Sixers are third in points per game and three-pointers made, second in blocks, with the highest offensive rating in the league.
But though they have wins over a few of their contemporary middling Eastern Conference teams, the Sixers’ current pace might be hard to keep up for 82 games.
Writing for The Athletic, Tony Jones highlighted the team’s shocking resilience in their start, but wrote that relying on the young stars too much could be dangerous in the long haul.
“For starters, the Sixers haven’t been good in third quarters this season… Secondly, Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe are playing too many minutes,” he wrote. “Nurse is in a tough position. He knows his guys are getting overextended, but because of injuries, this is what he has to do for Philadelphia to win games.”
Yet still, the Sixers are undefeated and atop the Eastern Conference. Edgecombe has been a revelation so far, and with Maxey, Grimes, and Kelly Oubre putting up strong numbers, this team will likely continue to exceed expectations.
Unexpected Sixers Star Vaults Over Cooper Flagg In ROTY Race