Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe lead 76ers to preseason win over Knicks, says Basket USA

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points in 17 minutes during his preseason debut for the Philadelphia 76ers, anchoring a 120-97 victory against the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center, Basket USA reported. With LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey resting on the sideline, the newly acquired forward wasted no time asserting himself in head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation.

Early Chemistry with VJ Edgecombe

The night’s most striking sequence arrived late in the first quarter when second-year guard VJ Edgecombe set a high screen for Brown. As New York defenders Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart converged, Brown delivered a left-handed pocket pass to Edgecombe rolling toward the rim. Edgecombe gathered the pass, executed a spin move past a trailing Brunson, and converted an uncontested layup. On the ensuing possession in transition, Edgecombe returned the favor by finding Brown in the paint for a clean jumper.

Edgecombe finished the evening with 12 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds across 20 minutes of action. Basket USA noted that Nurse pointed to Edgecombe's improved ball-handling as a catalyst for the play, stating that the guard's tighter handle allowed him to get through narrower gaps when attacking the basket.

déduit Nick Nurse

“I adore already VJ. It’s one of my favorite people in the world, and yet we just met,” Brown said of his young teammate. “VJ is going to be great. I can’t wait to help him continue to flourish. His talent is exceptional.”

Brown Shows Efficiency as Nurse Evaluates Roster Ceiling

Inside Basket reported that Brown shot 8 of 13 from the floor, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, while adding 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block during his limited first-half minutes. TrashTalk highlighted the lopsided final score against a Knicks squad that deployed several starters before sitting them for the second half.

Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe lead 76ers to preseason win over Knicks, says Basket USA — Photo: TrashTalk

Nurse acknowledged that evaluating the roster’s true ceiling remains difficult while key veterans rest. However, the head coach suggested that the secondary unit featuring Brown, Edgecombe, and potentially Anfernee Simons could provide formidable offensive punch when the full rotation takes shape.

“It’s hard to draw too many conclusions when several important players are missing,” Nurse said. “But there’s clearly an offensive potential that will need to be on the floor. Maybe Jaylen, VJ, maybe Simons with the rest of the second unit. So that could be something we could turn toward.”