Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; VJ Edgecombe arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
VJ Edgecombe looked every bit the third overall pick in June's draft, posting 28 points and 10 rebounds as the Sixers fell to the Utah Jazz in the first game of Salt Lake City Summer League action.
- Edgecombe's intrigue spilled out as the game went on. Ace Bailey had a better start to the pretend rivalry, outscoring Edgecombe early on. But Edgecombe quickly proved to be the more complete package.
Edgecombe got on the board by kissing a soft scoop off the high glass. He later hit a pull-up jumper along the baseline. But as both teams started to show some fatigue and the game became a battle of maintaining composure in the open floor, Edgecombe began to excel.
- He got a chance to run in transition and stepped around a white jersey parked in the paint, striding to the rim and exploding for a one-handed dunk. Edgecombe got a touch in the middle of the paint and put some pressure on the interior, causing Utah to collapse on him. He demonstrated his senses as a playmaker, leveraging the attention to find Broome inside for a finish.
- When the second half began, Edgecombe's rebounding became a more blatant thorn in Utah's side. He flew in from the perimeter and ripped one out of the air, stealing a stop away from the Jazz to keep Philadelphia's possession going. He later hustled to a long miss, jarring it away from Jazz hands and recovering it secure an additional play.
- It's not easy to achieve the balance Edgecombe struck in this game. On one hand, he looked remarkably explosive at the rim and quick on the move. On the other hand, he was poised with the rock in the halfcourt. He didn't let ball pressure speed him up. Edgecombe showed remarkable comfort in getting to his spots as a handler, calmly getting to the foul line for pull-up jumpers out of the pick-and-roll. There's only so much you can glean from summer league, but Edgecombe's approach was very encouraging.
- Broome stepped out of his comfort zone early in the affair, sticking a catch-and-shoot three off a screen for Edgecombe to give the Sixers an early five-point lead. The second-round pick rushed a bit in traffic in the first quarter, smoking a basic layup with his dominant hand.
- Broome settled in nicely as the first half went on. He was a boon to Philadelphia's rebounding prowess, shutting Utah possessions down when the ball came off the rim. On offense, he did a fine job of leveraging his size, sealing the deep post to set himself up for easy scores off the entry pass.
- Even as he got more comfortable, Broome's limitations beyond the paint showed up. He lost control of the ball when he put it on the deck in congestion, causing scrambles. That will not go away until he has more diversity in his offensive game. Teams know to pinch on the driving lanes when he catches in space, especially when he gets the ball in his left hand. That's when it's on him to punish the extra attention by finding the neglected teammate. And to be totally fair to Broome, it's on his teammates to read the defense. If a helper is selling out to shut off his water in the paint, you have a cutting lane to break the pressure.
- It was a nice look into Edwards' maturation that he dialed up the aggression as soon as the Jazz started to take the momentum in the first quarter. It coincided with Edgecombe and Broome hitting the bench for the first time. Edwards sensed a Utah run and immediately took it upon himself to pick up the slack, splitting a pick-and-roll and attacking the basket off the dribble. Edwards had the touch on a short lefty floater and confidently stroked a triple from the top of the key coming off a pin-down.
- He had a couple more nice scores in the fourth quarter as Philadelphia clawed the deficit down to a see-saw game, but it was an otherwise forgettable night for the second-year pro.
- The man amongst boys in both teams' first action of Salt Lake City Summer League. Bona established his presence on his first touch of the game, coming to an emphatic jump-stop in the paint and powering to the hoop for a rim-rattling dunk off a strong base.
- It wasn't just controlled finishing off two feet. Bona looked like the biggest guy on the court the very first moment starting lineups took the floor. Kyle Filipowski had no chance against Bona in the early-going, practically pin-balling off the Sixers' big man when he attacked him head-on.
- I was audibly laughing at Bona pushing defenders backward on drives as if he was an offensive lineman pushing a sled. Except, unlike an offensive lineman, Bona finished those physical drives with vicious dunks.
The Sixers (0-1) will play the Oklahoma City Thunder (0-1) on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the action on ESPN.
