VJ Edgecombe isn’t worried about his encore.

After an astounding professional debut — 34 points in the Sixers’ dramatic opening-night win over the Celtics — Edgecombe’s second NBA game is set for Saturday night vs. the Hornets in Philadelphia. 

He remains focused on improvement. 

“For me, it’s just building blocks,” Edgecombe said Friday. “Just trying to take steps in the right direction, learn from film. I was watching film just now. Just learning; knowing teams’ tendencies, knowing what they do. 

“It’s just a steady progression. That’s all it is. I played one NBA game, man. That doesn’t determine who I am as a player.”

Edgecombe logged 42 minutes in that one game, which meant plenty of film to dissect. He sat with Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines and watched some of it following practice. 

“How to read the floor, that’s the main thing,” Edgecombe said. “Just seeing things before they happen, knowing where defenders are, knowing what other teams like to do, knowing tendencies. That’s the main thing I study.”

Though his rest was minimal in Boston, Edgecombe did get to witness a bit of Tyrese Maxey’s solo show in the second quarter.

Maxey finished with 40 points and Edgecombe was quite impressed by his teammate. 

“Man, it’s so crazy,” he said. “I was actually watching (from the bench) when he started. … I just realized how good he is. He’s really good. 

“Being able to have a teammate like that, it helps me. I wasn’t expecting to have wide-open shots like that — super wide open. He requires so much attention. He’s good and he’s only getting better.”

As far as Sixers fans’ responses to the opener, Edgecombe apparently hasn’t experienced much in person. 

“Nobody’s really seen me,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been in my house. I haven’t been out. The furthest I go is to my car and my windows are tinted, so you can’t see me.”

He does expect immense noise and energy on Saturday night. 

“I know Philly fans are passionate, so I’m expecting every game to be like that,” he said. “Even if I had a good game (against the Celtics) or not, I was expecting it to be like that. Credit to the fans for just showing love to the city, showing love to the sports teams. … We all just try to have a connection to the fans. We’re regular people also, so just having a connection to the fans, it means a lot.”

For their home opener, the Sixers will face a Charlotte team that scored 136 points vs. the Nets in a season-opening win. The player drafted right after Edgecombe, No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel, had 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting and five rebounds. 

Asked about whether he places any extra meaning on matchups with other top picks, Edgecombe had a veteran’s answer. 

“Every game is the same,” he said. “I’m not trying to compare myself to them. Comparison is the thief of joy, man, so I’m trying to be happy on the floor. I’m trying to have fun. I’m not worried about a certain player on the floor. 

“They’re a team full of good players and my main goal is just to go in there and win, to be honest. That’s the main thing for me. I don’t compare myself to other draft picks or anything like that.”

Injury updates 

Paul George (left knee surgery recovery), Trendon Watford (left hamstring tightness) and Jared McCain (right thumb surgery recovery) will still be sidelined vs. the Hornets. Justin Edwards was listed as probable with right rib soreness.

McCain was the only Sixer who did not participate in Friday’s light practice. George and Watford both appear to be making continued progress, although Sixers head coach Nick Nurse doesn’t have specific return timelines. 

“We’ve got a pretty heavy schedule here, coming off of a heavy practice, but they were involved in all of it,” Nurse said. “I’m just kind of waiting for some cues on when they’ll be ready to go, but they were out there.”

Joel Embiid was not on Friday night’s injury report. He had a minutes restriction in his first regular-season game since undergoing arthroscopic left knee surgery in April. The 31-year-old big man was limited to 20 minutes against the Celtics.

“Until I hear differently, I’m going to assume it’s that,” Nurse said, “but it could slide at any time.”