Philadelphia All-Star forward Paul George sees a certain superstar rival in rookie teammate VJ Edgecombe's game.
Paul George Makes Superstar Comp for 76ers Rookie VJ Edgecombe originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star small forward Paul George sees elements of a certain superstar rival's in the play of rookie teammate VJ Edgecombe.
Edgecombe, a 6-foot-5 swingman out of Baylor, was selected with the No. 3 pick in last month's 2025 NBA draft.
During a one-and-done season for the Bears, the now-19-year-old averaged 15.0 points on .436/.340/.782 shooting splits, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists a night.
He'll join a decorated Philadelphia core comprising oft-hurt, 30-plus-year-old former superstars Joel Embiid and George, plus All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey. Embiid, 31, played just 15 games for the 76ers last season amid knee issues. The 35-year-old George suited up for just 41 contests while grappling with health issues of his own.
The Edgecombe selection, obviously, is more about finding a fit that aligns with the timelines of Maxey and second-year combo guard Jared McCain. Though Embiid and George would no doubt hope that Edgecombe, McCain and Maxey can grow enough to help them win now, the likelier scenario is that the older players will continue to age out of their All-NBA primes before the youth movement can coalesce fully.
During a new episode of his show "Podcast P with Paul George," George found an intriguing modern player comp for Edgecombe: six-time All-Star Golden State Warriors small forward Jimmy Butler, who stunningly continues to play at an elite two-way level when healthy.
"VJ showed flashes of stardom."
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 10, 2025
PG was impressed by new teammate VJ Edgecombe's Summer League debut 👀 pic.twitter.com/O92IuasW03
“I thought he looked good," George remarked about what he's seen from Edgecombe's early Summer League play. "I thought he looked good on both ends of the floor. It's dope to see the difference between college and NBA with spacing. Because, you know, he was able to get to his midi. He was able to see space on the floor. He was spacing behind the 3-point line. He was attacking in transition. Like there's just so much space for guys when you cross over from college to the NBA."
“He got that dog in him. Watching him, it was like watching a young Jimmy,” George observed. “He moves like Jimmy. He kind of has that mid-range tenacity. He's kind of got a lot of the Jimmy likeness to him, so he's definitely going to be good.”
Related: 76ers' No. 3 Pick VJ Edgecombe Gets Dealt Injury Update on Wednesday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
