I have gone back and forth with my evaluation of VJ Edgecombe, but I have come to the conclusion that a prospect with his level of athleticism, defensive skill, and offensive upside simply shouldn’t be ranked outside of the top five on a big board. He stands out the most on defense, where he plays at 100% all the time. He is an exceptional shot blocker for his size, and he does a great job at getting into passing lanes. He defends the point of attack well, and his athleticism allows him to recover very quickly on those occasions where he does make a mistake. On the other side of the ball, he has just as much upside as any prospect in this draft with his ability generate paint touched and finish around the rim. He needs to tighten up his handle and improve as a shooter, but I believe those things can happen. Even if they don’t, he still is a top five-ish caliber prospect because of the things he already is good at. VJ is a very special talent, and he has all of the potential in the world.

Edgecombe has had a fairly disappointing start to the season, it’s hard to ignore how raw he can look at times. As a scorer he hasn’t been successful (although he’s far from a lost cause), the shot doesn’t look good, and his age can show with how out of control he can get. Defensively he’s not trying very hard, and he hasn’t shown much potential as a passer. Even though he hasn’t been good at anything, I think he could improve and look better as the season progresses, mostly with the help of his freak athleticism.

Elite athleticism Iffy shooting early on Loose handle Great at drawing fouls Can play off the catch well Playmaking upside Elite in transition Great rebounder Great size Hustle player Good defender Sometimes isn’t very sound defensively Good help defense Good at getting steals Great positional shot blocker