Somewhere in the middle of the Phillies’ dramatic victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night, I turned to my dad and read off a piece of V.J. Edgecombe’s stat line from the Bahamas’ victory over Panama in FIBA World Cup Qualifier play.<\/p>\n
Edgecombe started the game with seven makes on his first eight 3-point attempts.<\/p>\n
That’s nothing more than a hot night. By itself, it says very little aobut what Edgecombe will contribute to the Sixers’ offensive concoction in the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n
But it did make me wonder aloud\u2014what if Edgecombe jumps to the upper 30s or climbs to the 40s in 3-point percentage in his second season?<\/p>\n
Surface level, it would be phenomenal for everyone involved. A remarkable leap from his rookie year to his sophomore season. Another significant turn of events for a franchise that owned the summer of 2026.<\/p>\n
Edgecombe, by default of who he’s playing next to, will be guarded as the weak link.<\/p>\n
And if that ‘what if’ comes to fruition, a lethal 3-point shooter will get a dream’s share of quality looks.<\/p>\n
If that is the weak link, it introduces a paradox.<\/p>\n
We spend so much time thinking about basketball through the prism of creating advantages on the court. If Edgecombe is able to accomplish that, who does a defense double-team when the ostensible starting five is on the floor?<\/p>\n
If no one can be left open, doesn’t everyone have to be guarded in single coverage? That means there’s no need to create advantages because advantages are all over the floor as is.<\/p>\n
And so that brings me to Joel Embiid.<\/p>\n
This will be a season unlike any other for him because there exists a world in which his offensive production is unnecessary.<\/p>\n
As such, it is very difficult to say with any degree of certainty what should be expected of him.<\/p>\n
Sure, it’s always been difficult to know what to expect from Embiid because of his injury history.<\/p>\n
This is different. Even when he is healthy, what will be his share of the offense? Where will his preferred spots be on a floor that features Jaylen Brown and LeBron James? Will he space out to the arc or roll to the foul line for his beloved mid-range jumper?<\/p>\n
Does Embiid feature more prominently lurking around the dunker’s spot? Or does he lord over the offense from the elbows, dictating every cog in the machine?<\/p>\n
In an ideal world, Embiid would trust the power his teammates bring on offense and commit himself to defensive rebounding and defense. Not just rim defense, but the ability to make plays roaming from spot to spot on a repeated basis. That may just be his greatest value to this group, and the best way to fit all of the powers together.<\/p>\n
Of course, that requires a level of wisdom that only Embiid knows if he has. It takes sacrifice to be content with taking a back seat as an offensive catalyst. It takes even more discipline to maintain your intensity on defense at times when you’re not doing the fun stuff on offense every possession.<\/p>\n
And so, for the first time, I find myself completely unsure of what to expect from the longest-tenured Sixer.<\/p>\n
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