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V.J. Edgecombe | 6-5 freshman guard | Baylor | 20 years old | No. 4
Edgecombe has figured things out in Big 12 play even as Baylor stumbles as one of the more disappointing teams in the country. Over his last 13 games, he's averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists while playing tough defense and shooting 47 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3 and 87 percent from the line. As Edgecombe's shot has started to fall at a more consistent level he was a 40 percent shooter off the catch in high school from 3 in both of his seasons at Long Island Lutheran the rest of his game has blossomed. He's become more consistent attacking the rim and finding different little ways into successful paint touches and scores.
That, along with the rest of the class continuing to live down to relative expectations, has vaulted him to the clear No. 4 spot. But questions persist about his game. Scouts are very interested to see how he'll measure in Chicago at the NBA Draft Combine. Listed at 6-foot-5, most evaluators have a degree of skepticism that he hits that mark. On top of that, most of Edgecombe's consistent sources of success this year have come off the ball as opposed to being the primary playmaker. Questions remain about his left hand off the bounce. He also hasn't dealt particularly well with heavy ball pressure when acting as a primary option.
Still, it's hard to see Edgecombe as anything other than fairly safe in this class. He's a terrific defender with all sorts of athleticism and quickness. He's a serious playmaker on that end, averaging two steals per game to go with nearly one block per game on the season. He's also extremely tough on the ball because of his athleticism and strength. It's hard to go through his chest even though he's not enormous. The jumper doesn't always look consistent, but the ball goes in the hoop, and he's an awesome free-throw shooter for being a freshman. It's easy to envision Edgecombe getting early minutes just as a 3-and-D style guard, then allowing him to use that as a base to build the rest of the on-ball skills. Even if those need work, sources across basketball rave about his work ethic and effort levels.
Maybe he ends up just being a super high-end athlete who is a 3-and-D guard. If that's the case, he probably wouldn't return the commensurate value with the No. 4 pick. But if that's really the worst-case scenario (and I think it is), with his upside for more given his truly elite athleticism that will place him in the top 5 percent of all NBA players, it's probably worth going for it within the top five. I don't expect Edgecombe to fall outside of that range on my final board given his successful close to the season.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6155790/2025/02/27/2025-nba-draft-big-board-vj-edgecombe-derik-queen-cooper-flagg/
V.J. Edgecombe | 6-5 freshman guard | Baylor | 20 years old | No. 4
Edgecombe has figured things out in Big 12 play even as Baylor stumbles as one of the more disappointing teams in the country. Over his last 13 games, he's averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists while playing tough defense and shooting 47 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3 and 87 percent from the line. As Edgecombe's shot has started to fall at a more consistent level he was a 40 percent shooter off the catch in high school from 3 in both of his seasons at Long Island Lutheran the rest of his game has blossomed. He's become more consistent attacking the rim and finding different little ways into successful paint touches and scores.
That, along with the rest of the class continuing to live down to relative expectations, has vaulted him to the clear No. 4 spot. But questions persist about his game. Scouts are very interested to see how he'll measure in Chicago at the NBA Draft Combine. Listed at 6-foot-5, most evaluators have a degree of skepticism that he hits that mark. On top of that, most of Edgecombe's consistent sources of success this year have come off the ball as opposed to being the primary playmaker. Questions remain about his left hand off the bounce. He also hasn't dealt particularly well with heavy ball pressure when acting as a primary option.
Still, it's hard to see Edgecombe as anything other than fairly safe in this class. He's a terrific defender with all sorts of athleticism and quickness. He's a serious playmaker on that end, averaging two steals per game to go with nearly one block per game on the season. He's also extremely tough on the ball because of his athleticism and strength. It's hard to go through his chest even though he's not enormous. The jumper doesn't always look consistent, but the ball goes in the hoop, and he's an awesome free-throw shooter for being a freshman. It's easy to envision Edgecombe getting early minutes just as a 3-and-D style guard, then allowing him to use that as a base to build the rest of the on-ball skills. Even if those need work, sources across basketball rave about his work ethic and effort levels.
Maybe he ends up just being a super high-end athlete who is a 3-and-D guard. If that's the case, he probably wouldn't return the commensurate value with the No. 4 pick. But if that's really the worst-case scenario (and I think it is), with his upside for more given his truly elite athleticism that will place him in the top 5 percent of all NBA players, it's probably worth going for it within the top five. I don't expect Edgecombe to fall outside of that range on my final board given his successful close to the season.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6155790/2025/02/27/2025-nba-draft-big-board-vj-edgecombe-derik-queen-cooper-flagg/
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