VJ

Edgecombe

After shooting 1-of-5 from the field and scoring two points in Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs, Grimes received another opportunity to impress on Wednesday. He took advantage of the opportunity, shooting 7-of-8 from two in his 31 minutes. Grimes missed all four of his three-point attempts, but the overall output was solid. Whether he gets another start when the 76ers face the Hawks on Saturday depends on the availability of VJ Edgecombe (back) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness), who did not play against Utah.

Edgecombe exited early on Tuesday after injuring his back on the final play before halftime, and it will keep him sidelined against Utah. Cameron Payne started the second half in his place and could be in line to start against Utah.

Edgecombe is dealing with lower back soreness, forcing an early end to his evening. The rookie played 20 minutes, finishing with six points (2-of-9 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs), four rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocked shots. Cam Payne entered the lineup to begin the third quarter.

Edgecombe recorded a complete stat line against the Heat, and he’s picked up the production since the All-Star break. The rookie guard has scored at least 19 points in four of his last five games, providing third-round per-game value in eight-cat formats, according to Basketball Monster. With Dallas’ Cooper Flagg currently injured and not a lock to hit the 65-game minimum needed to be eligible for postseason awards, Edgecombe is someone who should be mentioned more often in Rookie of the Year conversations than he already is.

Three 76ers scored at least 23 points in Tuesday’s victory, with Edgecombe joining Tyrese Maxey (32) and Joel Embiid (27). The rookie guard has scored at least 20 points in three of his last four outings, continuing to provide solid production as the 76ers continue without the suspended Paul George. Philadelphia returns home for its next game, Thursday night against the Heat.

Edgecombe was the perfect second banana to Tyrese Maxey in this game. The 20-year-old shooting guard had 24 points on 18 field goal attempts and made six three-pointers in the win over the Timberwolves on Sunday. Edgecombe has provided eighth-round per game value this season, according to Basketball Monster.

Edgecombe had 20 points on 15 field goal attempts in Thursday’s loss to the Hawks. The 20-year-old shooting guard recorded no assists and had six turnovers, showing that it was a bit of a struggle on the offensive end. Edgecombe has provided seventh-round per game value on the season, according to Basketball Monster.

After scoring 17 points in the semifinals, including a run of ten consecutive points, the 76ers guard scored six more in Team Vince’s championship game victory over Team Melo. His two free throws gave Team Vince the 25-24 win in the title game. Thus far, Edgecombe has exceeded expectations in Philadelphia from a fantasy standpoint, providing seventh-round per-game value in eight- and nine-cat formats.

Edgecombe didn’t have a good night shooting the basketball, as he missed all five of his three-point attempts. Over the past two weeks, the rookie has been a 10th-round player in eight-cat formats, according to Basketball Monster. Edgecombe’s season-long fantasy value has exceeded expectations, with the rookie guard approaching top-75 value. He and the 76ers will look to hit the ground running after the All-Star break, as they’ll have three more games to complete Week 17.

Edgecombe finished Thursday’s defeat with his third double-double of the season and first since November 20. While the recent Rookie of the Year conversations have focused on Dallas’ Cooper Flagg and Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, Edgecombe has been excellent as well. Fantasy-wise, he’s providing top-75 value, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP (97). Edgecombe and the 76ers finish their Week 16 slate on Saturday in Phoenix.