Catchall wrote:I was at the games tonight in Salt Lake City. In the 2nd half, I could see Ace Bailey was exhausted. He could barely keep his feet under him and was bending over and gasping for air every chance he got. He was good in the 1st quarter, but he's not ready for NBA speed and intensity, especially at Utah's elevation. I'm guessing he didn't workout too hard before the draft. The Jazz are going to need to build him up all summer.
By contrast, VJ Edgecombe looked like he could play all day. His energy level never dropped. He doesn't have an advanced handle, but if the Sixers can space the floor well enough for him he'll get by defenders. His playstyle reminds me a bit of Larry Hughes, using his athleticism to get a step and then rising up in the mid-range. I still think he's probably a team's third option, but maybe he can be a #2 option. He'll be really good cutting off the ball and letting other players create time and space for him to keep things simple. He's difficult to stay in front of, and once he gets a step he's gone. If he becomes a really reliable shooter, it's over. He'll be close to unguardable.
Edgecombe has always been my darkhorse for ROY and best player to come out of this class pick. It's still summer league so don't want to get too excited yet. However the guy has superstar potential written all over him since I saw him play for the Bahamas national team.
He still has a lot of work to do as far as isolation skill goes. But I like that he's also active off the ball and on defense. I disagree with the Hughes comparison. Hughes was more of a ball dominant guard that gambles a lot on defense. They have different skill base. I think VJ's raw game is based on athleticism. VJ reminds me more of Jason Richardson type but VJ is smaller but a bit more skilled at the same age and more fluid. JRich was never able to develop an isolation game, I think VJ can develop a more advanced isolation game. But I hope he doesn't become a full-time iso guy because his off the ball instinct is really good. He can be more impactful being able to play both ways with and without the ball. It's especially useful playing alongside Embiid and Maxey.
Really difficult to take anything out of these games. For VJ it will always come down to how his shot will develop efficient wise, we already know he’s super athletic. Scoring 28 points on 27 shots in a summer league game doesn’t really tell you much.
