2025 NBA Draft: VJ Edgecombe is Special Defensive Prospect

Baylor wing VJ Edgecombe has made a ton of noise on the defensive end this season. What makes him an effective defensive prospect?

Dec 27, 2024; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) passes the ball upcourt against the Arlington Baptist Patriots Patriots during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / Chris Jones-Imagn Images

In this year’s draft cycle, we have a ton of high-level players at the top of the class. As of now, only two players are in the conversation as a potential number one pick -- Cooper Flagg out of Duke and Dylan Harper who plays for Rutgers. Those two prospects have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the class.

Flagg is considered one of the best defensive prospects in the draft, but there’s also another fellow freshman who has been phenomenal on the defensive end this season and is oozing with potential as a perimeter defender. A freshman wing out of Baylor, VJ Edgecombe has been wreaking havoc all season long with his tenacious defense. 

The 6-foot-5 wing is currently 15th in the nation in steals with 2.5 per game. On top of him generating so many steals and deflections, he also is one of two players out of the top 15 in steals per game to average more than one block per game -- currently averaging 1.2 blocks. The freshman averages 3.7 stocks per game, which is in the top ten among all college players.

The stats are obviously a good indicator of how disruptive of a defender Edgecombe is, but he also backs it up on the film. He’s extremely athletic and quick laterally which allows him to contain a variety of different ball-handlers off the dribble. He’s a switchable wing defender who can cause opposing teams to feel uncomfortable on the offensive end and lead to them getting sloppy turnovers.

Edgecombe is a special vertical athlete with size and length which allows him to be an elite wing rim protector. He has legitimate instincts and does a great job of being a good team defender. The combination of his elite on-ball defensive skills and off-ball defensive skills makes him arguably the best defensive prospect in this year’s draft, and if he gets enough minutes in the NBA and he reaches his ceiling, then we could expect Edgecombe to make multiple all-defensive teams in the NBA.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.