October 25, 2026
John Jones/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
VJ Edgecombe is making the most of his new role.
PHILADELPHIA – How does a team with so many players accustomed to ball-dominant stardom do enough of the little things to win games?
It finds respected, self-aware, two-way veteran players capable of fitting into a role and mastering the art of filling in the gaps. Players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a 13-year NBA veteran providing a massive two-way punch three games into his Sixers tenure. Players like Dean Wade, the signee of a contract worth nearly $40 million despite never having a play called for him.
And it needs players like VJ Edgecombe, with more than enough talent and pedigree to demand touches, but the right mental makeup to prioritize the right things for the team he is on.
In the first Sunday stats of the 2026-27 season, diving into the critical contributions of Edgecombe, Caldwell-Pope and Wade to Saturday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, giving the Sixers a perfect 3-0 record:
MORE: Sixers-Bucks observations
VJ Edgecombe's rebounding total on Saturday.
After the Sixers nearly collapsed in the fourth quarter, Edgecombe made what was perhaps a game-saving play, skying for an offensive rebound to revive a possession which ended in a Jaylen Brown triple:
V. J. Edgecombe keeps the play alive and Jaylen Brown
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 25, 2026
knocks down the triple!🔥#NBA pic.twitter.com/wqRzG7gQLf
"No, I’m surprised when he doesn’t do that," Maxey said. "I get mad at him when he doesn’t do it. I call it, ‘Hey, go do that VJ stuff you do.’ That’s what I tell him."
Edgecombe's 11 defensive rebounds were the true story; on a team that will often struggle mightily to close out possessions he has displayed a crucial ability to leap for contested rebounds that most guards cannot get to.
"We really need it because I think there's a lot of times when guys are kind of attached, blocking out, and the ball's bouncing, kind of out to the guy that's being blocked out, and somebody needs to come flying in from the outside to grab those," Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after the win. "And that's been him a couple games in a row. But we really are going to need his defensive rebounding, for sure."
Edgecombe also fired off 10 three-point attempts, shooting at the sort of volume more and more coaches welcome in today's NBA. Playing alongside ball-dominant stars that draw frequent help, Edgecombe should stay ready at all times.
"He’s a good shooter. I think, again, it's not going to be that way every night, but tonight – depending on how teams are playing, he's probably going to have some looks," Nurse said. "They’re going to be pulled off to try to plug some of the lanes for Tyrese, Joel, Jaylen, those guys. So he's probably going to get some opportunities. I like the confidence. There was no hesitation. So that's the way you can make them. If you feel like you can make them and you step right into them, that's a good start."
MORE: Jaylen Brown takes shots at former Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's plus/minus on Saturday, tied for a game-high.
Despite Joel Embiid recording the 10th triple-double of his career, Brown scoring a season-high 27 points and Tyrese Maxey pouring in another 26 himself, no member of the Sixers earned more postgame praise than Caldwell-Pope. He has made high-impact plays on both ends of the floor in all three wins, but was far and away at his best on Saturday.
Caldwell-Pope knocked down four threes and notched three steals in 28 minutes against Milwaukee, and it continues to feel as if all of his triples are well-timed.
KCP ARE YOU KIDDING ME? pic.twitter.com/bisZXqLSS0
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 25, 2026
After a pair of down seasons more than a decade into his career, Caldwell-Pope being a meaningful contributor on this team was far from a certainty. But let the Sixers themselves explain how "great" he has been:
Nurse: "Big thing: two-way player, man. He really sprints the floor, gives us some spacing in transition, knocked down that three. But he came in to take [Tyler] Herro, and Herro was going there a little bit. He came in and did a nice job, and then we started matching them. Herro came out, and Herro came back in, KCP came back in. So that was – again, he's done that a couple games now, giving us a huge lift defensively."
Maxey: "He was great. He made some big-time shots. He made some big-time plays defensively. He did some real vet stuff today. He was good."
Brown: "Yeah, he was great. I played against KCP for a while now on different teams, different uniforms. Same guy, 3&D, brings a lot of heart and soul to the team. Big-time player on both ends of the court."
Embiid: "Oh, he's been great. All three games since he's been here. Obviously, big shot at the end, but not only the shot, but what he's been bringing defensively, guarding, and yeah, his veteran leadership. He's been great."
MORE: The Sixers only have one ball. All of their stars are getting chances to play with it.
Dean Wade's steals total on Saturday.
Wade logged 28 minutes in his Sixers debut upon returning from an ankle sprain. He bookended his night with threes – one on his very first touch during the Sixers' first offensive possession of the game, another in the fourth quarter – and in between those shots, he showed the sort of defensive versatility he will provide this team.
On a handful of early possessions, Wade defended Bucks point guard Ryan Rollins, a shifty, 180-pound scoring threat. Later on in the game, a knee injury suffered by Jabari Walker and poor performance from Adem Bona led to Wade sliding up to the five; more small-ball minutes could be in his near future.,
"He's good," Nurse said. "...I really liked the little segment when we had him and Jabari in together, and it was really going really good. And then right away, Jabari tweaked his knee. That gave us a little versatility there to play him at some five, which I liked. Again, just pretty solid. I don't think he was moving maybe as well as he would like to or can move tonight. But he played a solid game."
Wade acknowledged that he may not be quite at 100 percent, but he was eager to get back on the court.
"Feeling good," Wade said. "Feeling good. I'm a little sore, but feeling good. Me and the training staff had a few days to get together and just grind out some real treatment times, and so I'm feeling good."
Wade is a perfect fit for these Sixers because he can impact winning without playing on the ball. His efforts with the Cleveland Cavaliers being rewarded with a four-year contract in Philadelphia is proof that not every player needs the ball to make money. It can be an example for younger Sixers looking to leave a mark.
"I think that's why he's such an asset, and that speaks so highly of him," Walker said during the preseason. "You realize sometimes simplicity is just key, and you don't overdo it. And I think it kind of confirms a lot for me with what I'm learning and where I'm growing. Seeing guys like that get paid, it’s like, 'Okay, just knock down the corner three, play defense, be out the way, be a great person.' And that's the road I'm trying to follow.”
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