Comparison is the thief of joy but VJ Edgecombe might be the best 76ers top-5 pick ever

VJ Edgecombe made quite the first impression on Philadelphia 76ers fans. He was a cut above in Summer League. Excellent in preseason. And then came opening night in Boston, in which the No. 3 overall pick scored 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting. That was the most points scored in an NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain. Since Wilt!

Edgecombe has kept his foot on the gas pedal since. Through four games, he's averaging 22.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals on .471/.429/.786 splits in 40.3 minutes. There are, of course, unsustainable elements to Edgecombe's success so far. Philadelphia can't play him 40 minutes per night all season. The shooting is bound to regress somewhat, even if he's a better shooter than folks expected coming out of Baylor. But on the whole, Edgecombe's success feels repeatable. He looks like he belongs, full stop.

It's unwise to carried away with grand proclamations after four games, but ... is Edgecombe the greatest top-five pick in Sixers history?

Time shall tell. He obviously has some stiff competition, from Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in the modern era to all-time legends like Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Jerry Stackhouse, Darryl Dawkins, Doug Collins, Billy Cunningham — it's a storied bunch. Odds are, no, Edgecombe won't surpass A.I. or Chuck in the eyes of NBA historians. You'd be smart to bet against it and set your expectations accordingly.

But just in terms of vibes, it's incredible how dramatically Edgecombe has altered, at a chemical level, how fans feel about the present and future of this organization. Mature quotes like this, warning about comparison as the thief of joy when asked about fellow top-five pick Kon Knueppel, are not what we've come to expect out of the Sixers locker room in recent years.

Edgecombe has made one of the best opening statements in NBA history. It's special, something we haven't seen in generations. So why get all bent over backward wondering what may or may not happen over the next decade of Edgecombe's career when things feel so positive right now? Maybe Philadelphia is allowed to have good things, he said while knocking vigorously on wood.

VJ Edgecombe has already changed the culture in Philadelphia

This just does not happen, hardly ever. There are examples of elite rookies who come into a rebuilding situation, command the spotlight and quickly emerge as vocal leaders in the locker room. But Edgecombe arrived in an extremely unique position as the No. 3 overall pick on a Sixers team with three All-Stars, some highly accomplished vets and expectations (at least internally) to compete right away.

The bulk of the credit for Philadelphia's cultural overhaul belongs to Tyrese Maxey, who has been one of the absolute hardest workers in the NBA from day one. He has also come into his own as the heart and soul of Philly's locker room, taking Edgecombe under his wing and manifesting higher standards in practice, which has clearly bled into the games.

In a recent joint interview on ESPN, Maxey recalled how Edgecombe was one of two Sixers to join him in the gym at 6 a.m. for an off-script summer workout.

There are clear parallels between Maxey's mentality and that of Edgecombe. The 20-year-old is a gym rat who absorbs knowledge, takes criticism on the chin, and clearly has that hunger to improve. Their effusive joy and their commitment to putting in the work and competing every night has rubbed off on the team. That duo, with a shout to fellow guard Jared McCain, has resurrected the locker room.

Philadelphia has struggled to find consistent leadership over the years. Embiid is a homebody by nature. He prefers to spend time with his family and retreat into the shadows when the Sixers aren't playing. He's not a vocal leader. None of that is a problem, but when your best player isn't rallying the troops, it can leave a void in the locker room. Simmons was far too similar, which is ironically why that relationship fell apart. Jimmy Butler was great, but he was there for half a season. James Harden was a positive presence overall (and a great mentor for young Maxey), but he was not the "lead by example" sort. Nor is George.

Philadelphia has, for too long, been led by deferential personalities. Maxey and Edgecombe are grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns, meeting the urgency of the moment and dragging the Sixers with them by sheer force of will. The Sixers desperately needed these young, energetic leaders who just set a different tone in the gym. They engage with Nick Nurse, they keep the offseason group chats firing and they lead by example. They are proof that hard work can manifest as personal growth and wins on the court.

Sixers might actually contend with VJ Edgecombe — like, right now

A 4-0 start means very little in the grand scheme of an NBA season, but with Edgecombe, it's hard not to feel like the Sixers are rapidly approaching contender status. The trio of Maxey, Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes is blitzing teams offensively right now: Philadelphia is +33.3 points per 100 possessions with those three on the floor. That number will regress toward the mean eventually, but that combination of speed, playmaking and shooting gives the Sixers so many ways to beat you. Add McCain, another high-feel, sharpshooting guard into the mix, and the Sixers can better manage their stars' minutes and flood opponents with depth on the perimeter. Oh, and George is due back soon, too.

The Embiid fit will be fascinating to monitor. He's still an individual scoring machine, but he operates at a different pace than Philly's backcourt engines. The game tends to slow down a bit when Embiid takes over the offense. He's trying his best to embrace more of a screen-heavy, off-ball role, but Embiid needs to cook. He's a generational bucket-getter; the Sixers need to let him cook. But how well it all meshes with Maxey and Edgecombe once the minutes increase and Philadelphia starts closing games with Embiid will be critical.

There is also the matter of Philadelphia's defense, which tends to bleed points in the first three quarters before tightening the screws late — a strategy that probably won't hold for 82 games. Embiid is a huge factor there. He's getting flamed out in space, with a noticeable lack of lateral agility compared to pre-injury Embiid. Does that improve once he gets his legs under him? Is he just saving himself for the playoffs? Can Philadelphia find the necessary support from a healthy George and Dominick Barlow instead? These will be important questions.

Despite those (valid) concerns, however, this Sixers offense ranks among the very best in the NBA and there's no reason to expect a dramatic decline. Edgecombe is four games into his career. He could get better, believe it or not, and it's hard to overstate the benefits of adding McCain and George. Edgecombe's poise and polish at such a young age defies all conventional wisdom, but it's plain to see. He's moving, passing, scoring like a vet. He competes like hell. There's no reason to think he can't impact winning once the games start to count a little bit more.

Are the first-place Sixers the favorites to come out of the East? No. But can Philadelphia stick around the top of the standings and make some noise next spring? Absolutely. Health is paramount, of course, but it all looks awfully good on paper at the moment.

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