The Rookie of the Year conversation feels like a done deal before the first tip. Cooper Flagg, Duke’s golden boy, No. 1 pick, 82-rated in NBA 2K26, was practically handed the trophy the moment he touched down in Dallas. But a bold take from Locked on Warriors threw a wrench into the script: not Cooper Flagg, but VJ Edgecombe, the high-flying, two-way guard out of Baylor, could walk away with the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
“VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers wins Rookie of the Year. That’s a take, I believe. Not Cooper Flagg. VJ Edgecombe. Reminds me a bit of Dwyane Wade if he can work on his mid-range, but he’s got some bounce, man,” said Chuck Walter on Locked on Warriors with NBA Hot Takes. A Dwyane Wade comp isn’t thrown around lightly. But Edgecombe earned that nod with a relentless motor, rim-crushing athleticism, and defensive tenacity that made him a Big 12 menace at Baylor. He didn’t come into the league with the same hype machine as Flagg, but context is everything, and Philly might be the perfect storm.
The Sixers are coming off a 24-58 dumpster fire of a season, defined by injuries and unrealized potential. They snagged Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick, and while on paper his minutes look limited behind Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid, reality might offer something different. “Edgecombe’s been awesome. I mean, we watched him at Baylor quite a bit with our UC fandom. He looked good in Summer League. I could absolutely see him being Rookie of the Year,” said Hudson Klauke on the same show. “They got—forget the Sixers got Paul George, too. Embiid, Maxey… So, if they’re fully healthy… I mean, hell, I’ll do my take that I don’t believe: the Sixers win the East. Why not?”
Edgecombe doesn’t fit the mold of a typical lottery pick. He was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He played real basketball at Baylor, not highlight-reel Instagram stuff. And in Summer League, he looked poised, not like a guy overwhelmed by NBA speed. Health will dictate Philly’s 2025-26 season; Embiid and George both missed major time last year.
If either one stumbles again, Edgecombe’s role balloons. Even in a rotation with three All-Stars, his fit, as a slasher, cutter, and transition threat, is unique. He doesn’t need the ball to shine. And his 2.1 steals per game at Baylor point to the kind of defensive versatility that could earn him crunch-time trust early.
Why Flagg still has the edge?
Meanwhile, Cooper Flagg is built for this. The 6’9” star won the Naismith, with two-way versatility and NBA spacing tailor-made for his feel for the game. He’s also walking into a great situation in Dallas, with Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and others to help shoulder the burden. Even after a shaky Summer League debut, Flagg dropped 31 in his second game. He’s already been crowned by sportsbooks with -185 odds to win ROTY.
Edgecombe is a low-risk, high-upside pick for ROTY odds, currently sitting at +1300, he trails only Flagg, Dylan Harper, and Tre Johnson. But what those others have in opportunity, they lack in winning context. Edgecombe joins a team that could, health willing, contend. Malcolm Brogdon didn’t win ROTY because he dropped 25 a night. He did it because he impacted a playoff team. If Philly bounces back like many expect, Edgecombe’s fingerprints will be all over it.
“He has all the tools to be someone extremely special in this league,” Maxey said of Edgecombe. “I think he also has the work ethic to go along with it. And the personality. When those things match, you normally get something pretty good from it.” Cooper Flagg is the safe pick. But safe doesn’t always win the race. VJ Edgecombe might not be the favorite’s favorite, but he’s turning heads. And now? A serious case for Rookie of the Year.
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