“I’m the No. 3 pick!”: VJ Edgecombe unleashes trash talk after Summer League scuffle with Elijah Harkless

Philadelphia 76ers fans have every reason to be thrilled. After a tough season, it looks like the wait was worth it, as VJ Edgecombe is already showing signs he might be the real deal.

The Baylor product took the court by storm in his NBA Summer League debut, outdueling fellow lottery pick Ace Bailey and even showing glimpses of his trash-talking skills.

Midway through the third quarter, Edgecombe got into a back-and-forth with Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless, and he was ruthless with his response:

“Are you worried about me? I'm the No. 3 pick," Edgecombe said bluntly. "You're sorry as f**ck!"

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Edgecombe finished the night with a whopping 28 points, ten rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal on 48% from the floor. Even so, his team lost 93-89, which is why he was far from satisfied after his debut:

"It was a great bump, but overall, we lost," Edgecombe said. "That isn't the outcome we wanted, but overall, I feel like we started to figure some things out as a team, so heading into next game, we should be good."

His next chance to get his first win in the league will come on Monday when they face the OKC Thunder.

VJ Edgecombe played well at both guard spots

The Sixers gave Edgecombe the keys to the offense ahead of his debut, and he responded well to every situation that was thrown at him.

He's a shooting guard, but he handled some playmaking duties in college, so the Sixers played him both on and off the ball in his debut.

When asked about that, Edgecombe was thankful for the opportunity, since he's not going to have many ball-handling chances in his first year in the league:

"I was able to play both on and off the ball, and it allowed me to grow as a player," Edgecombe said. "I'm really thankful for that situation. Knowing who I'm going to be playing with in the NBA and in summer league, I'm not always going to be on the ball, so just being impactful off the ball."

The Sixers have a promising young core with Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. They're almost on the same timeline, and they could be a very competitive team for many years to come.

It will take a while for all three of them to be at their best, but with Paul George and Joel Embiid struggling with injuries, it seems like we're on the verge of a new era of Sixers basketball.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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