September 29, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
VJ Edgecombe does not feel pressure ahead of the 2026-27 season, he said on Tuesday.
CAMDEN, N.J. – The visual on Tuesday afternoon was striking. Upwards of 50 media members – maybe five times the usual crowd – swarmed the perimeter of the two full-length basketball courts in the Sixers' Camden practice facility.
With Monday's Media Day fireworks in the rearview mirror, Tuesday morning marked the official start of the 2026-27 Sixers' on-court journey. For the first time, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown participated in official basketball activity as members of the Sixers.
After last year's training camp included flights to and from Abu Dhabi – about 20 hours both ways – the Sixers have opted to keep things simple this time around. "Still trying to recover," Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said with a smile. So, Nurse gave a 30-minute presentation about his vision for the season before beginning what will be four straight days of practice in Camden. Then comes Saturday's Blue x White Scrimmage at Xfinity Mobile Arena and Monday's preseason opener at home against the New York Knicks.
Notes from the first day of what the Sixers hope is a long and prosperous season:
VJ Edgecombe did not need to see the larger-than-usual media contingent to know that his second NBA campaign will come under a much more significant microscope than his terrific rookie season. Predictably, it does not sound like the 21-year-old is sweating over any of the attention coming his way.
"All eyes on us," Edgecombe said, "so it's just more fun than I would say pressure."
Nurse empowered Edgecombe early and often last season, ensuring the rookie had every chance to play through mistakes in every role on both ends of the floor. He was everything from a primary ball-handler to a low-usage spot-up shooter. Now, with fewer shots to go around than ever before on a star-laden roster, Edgecombe said he wants to provide the Sixers with a defensive edge. He projects to be this team's primary point-of-attack defender.
"I'm looking forward to that," Edgecombe said. "I'm just trying to make sure I'm in top-tier shape so I can do that... That's important, to be [at the] point of attack, because that's who starts most possessions. I want to be able to set the tone for us defensively."
It is not as simple as just deciding to take offensive skill and energy and transfer it to the other side of the ball; this is not a video game. But the Sixers clearly have an awareness that they will never be lacking in offensive firepower this season. "The world is ours," Anfernee Simons said on Tuesday about the team's offensive versatility from skill and lineup perspectives. But collective buy-in on defense will be required. On Monday, Tyrese Maxey said that Brown has been talking about serving as a defensive "monster" for this group.
"VJ’s super talented. Obviously his athletic ability speaks for itself, his ability to rebound the ball speaks for itself. We’re just going to continue pushing him," Simons said. "Obviously there’s going to be a lot of opportunities to go out there [and] guard the best player. Just push him that way to continue to be special. Obviously VJ's going to continue to have to go out there and be himself, and we’re going to expect him to be VJ."
MORE: LeBron at Media Day: 'I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round'
That is what Edgecombe described thinking upon seeing James in the locker room on Tuesday morning. Predictably, the 41-year-old was the oldest player in the building, having put together an iconic career that is older than Edgecombe and some other Sixers youngsters. His unprecedented longevity has been the product of tireless work. So, James was the first player in the building on Tuesday.
"Just the ultimate professional. He's been that for 20-plus years now," Simons said. "You hear the stories about him being here early and getting his work done, and we saw that today. He was here already getting warmed up by the time I walked in the door. Just speaks to how he's able to play like this for 24 years. It's crazy."
Edgecombe is not intimidated by anybody. He made it clear that he has already tried to challenge James, including when they miscommunicated on a switch in their first practice together. But once upon a time during Edgecombe's childhood, James' Miami Heat were the favorite team of The Bahamas. He is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.
Not even Edgecombe can feign nonchalance. At least not yet.
"I ain't going to be like that no more," Edgecombe said.
MORE: Best and worst possible outcomes for VJ Edgecombe in 2026-27
On Monday, James quipped when asked if he was this team's point guard or a connecting power forward: "I think the luxury of my game is I can do everything. Literally, I can do everything."
Nurse did not give any more clarity as to what the NBA's all-time leading scorer will be asked to do here. James is so versatile that there is no telling what his role might look like. James, Edgecombe, Maxey and Joel Embiid – the former NBA MVP was a full participant on Tuesday, by the way – can thrive in many different fashions offensively. Nurse has to figure out the right alignment of his star-studded cast of characters, and as he addressed a question about James in particular, he admitted nobody's role is exactly clear.
"I have an idea, as I do with every guy, what their role should be," Nurse said. But he wants to "collaborate" with his stars and see the group mesh over the next "couple of weeks" before he tries to "really narrow that down."
None of this, Nurse made clear, was to downplay the importance of solidifying each and every player's responsibilities.
"I think that's one thing we need to do," Nurse said, "is clearly define roles for everybody."
James' role is not the only thing up in the air on Tuesday. As Simons was concluding his media availability, reporters could hear a helicopter departing from atop the facility. James was on his way out.
Welcome to a brave, new world.
MORE: Breaking down Sixers' star-studded starting five
