Sixers PREFER Ace Bailey Over VJ Edgecombe? | All-Star Potential? | Paul George NOT Getting Traded!

Sixers PREFER Ace Bailey Over VJ Edgecombe? | All-Star Potential? | Paul George NOT Getting Traded!

The long awaited debate is finally here. Who should the 76ers select with the third overall pick today? We’ll do a deep dive of their top two options, give you a full breakdown and comparison of both, and ultimately I will let you know which player I would choose if I were the 76ers. So, we will get into all of it, but welcome in to Philly Take with RB. We started off with a Paul George quote. If you wondered what PG was doing this off season, he’s out here recording a podcast with Gilly the Kid and he says, quote, “The Philly fans can be rough. I’m cool with it. At the end of the day, it’s an expectation they hold. I respect it. I’m not one to shy away from that. I want the Heat and I want that pressure.” PG’s committed to coming back to Philly and making it happen this year, staying healthy. He said he was playing through a torn adductor, so he is ready to get back in the gym and do his thing. Well, guess what? You’re gonna have to absolutely do that and not just say it on a podcast. Speaking of Paul George and Joel Embiid, new report from Jake Fischer today. The Sixers are not looking to break up the duo of Joel Embiid and Paul George. Quote, “Don’t expect the duo to be broken up.” Sources say that recent reports suggesting the Sixers will be looking to explore Paul George’s trademark in conjunction with the draft are a misread. It has been whispered often in league circles going back to Philly’s free agency courtship of George last summer. The Sixers would not turn around and try to move him in the early stages of his Philly tenure unless George asked for a deal himself. So, unless PG requests a trade, not happening. Little more context here from the article. The Sixers surely understand there is little to no chance they could optimize a trade return for the 35-year-old after his injuryriddled maiden season as a Sixers. So, there you go. No trademark, no interest. PG will be a Sixer. They’re most likely not trading the pick with PG’s contract. What does that mean? It means that it is time to start talking about prospects because they’re going to make this pick, ladies and gentlemen, unless an offer comes and blows his socks off. But what should the Sixers do with the third overall pick? Let’s get into it. Man, I have been watching a ton of games over the last week, diving into the tape, and I’m excited to share my findings with you. Shout out to our social guy who makes these incredible graphics. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter/X. We are posting these everywhere. I’ll have my second big board out later this week. So, be sure you’re following us everywhere. But it’s time to get into it, man, because the long-awaited debate of Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecomb. Who should they pick? Who should they go with? I want to hear from you. Get that chatter going in the comments section. I feel like a lot of the notions about Ace Bailey that I’ve heard have not really been the case when I’ve been watching a lot of his games. The more I watch Ace, the more I like his game. So, we’ll start with him and a few things that you need to know about Ace Bailey. All right, three-level score. The guy can score from anywhere on the floor. Natural jump shot, especially on the pull-up. He’s an explosive athlete. Nice quick footwork. High motor guy. We’ve heard the interviews, right? And I feel like a lot of people have taken that for cockiness. And sure, he may come off a little cocky, but Ace Bailey to me sounds like a guy who wants to be in the gym, wants to work, not a Ben Simmons who has all the talent in the world, but is more worried about wearing sunglasses and the paparazzi, you know, and being famous. No. Ace might come off a little cocky, but he wants to work. He said, “I’m going to work on even the bad shots. I want to be in the gym.” Great movement shooter. We’ll get into it a lot more. Some of his weaknesses, limited dribble arsenal, decision-making, defensive technique, and finishing at the rim. But ladies and gentlemen, 6’9, he’s only 18 years old, one of the youngest prospects in the draft class. He has a 7ft wingspan, 7 and a quarter to be exact, and an 8’11 standing reach, just over 200 lb. So, here’s a few things that I want to get into as it relates to Ace Bailey. And oh, by the way, for all the channel members, I’m going to find a way to share my draft notebook with you. So, if you want access to the RB draft playbook that we’re building out, become a channel member and support your boy. More on that coming soon. But I watched a ton of these games and something that really pops off the screen to me when it comes to Ace Bailey, like I said, his natural jump shot. It’s a beauty. High point of release, nice touch, seems very natural. Yes, that has to be a point of consideration because of the players that have been drafted here in Philadelphia. Nice job off the movement as a shooter. Above average foot speed, he’s got nice coordination to his game. Nice um typical defensive stance. Like the way he’s locked in. And that’s another notion that has come up as I’m watching some of these games. People say that he’s not focused. People say that he’s not locked in. He does have some occasional defensive lapses. There’s times where he does fall asleep on the floor, but keep in mind he’s also playing at a school with Ruckers. Yes, he had a top five pick next to him and Dylan Harper, but other players that really simply were not that good. I mean, their team had an under 500 record and at some points, you know, it’s just natural to kind of fall asleep, especially when you’re getting beat bad. So, I’m watching Ace Bailey and everything that I’ve seen from the games I’ve watched is he’s locked in. He’s moving around the floor. He’s focused. He’s always trying to make a play on the ball. He’s always crashing glass. And to me, he seems like a guy who is a lot more locked in than people make him out to be. Now, a couple things on the other side of the ball that I’ve noticed. Obviously, everybody knocks him for his limited dribble arsenal. Does not have a lot of dribble moves. Loose ball handling guy. He’s got pretty much a simple crossover. But here’s the thing, and as we start to get into VJ Edgecom, we’ll compare the two. But I can teach Ace Bailey how to dribble a basketball. you can add more moves to his bag, but the things that he has are elite size, height, measurables, traits, things that can translate to the next level. So, when we talk about him not being able to dribble that well, he still put up really good production. 17.6 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks. I thought he was a much more capable defender than people were making him out to be, especially as a weak side helper. came over, got up, leaped up pretty high, made a couple big-time blocks, and overall he was just a streaky player this year. And I think there’s more to take into consideration with the environment that he played in. Um, he did not shoot that well at the free throw line this year. Like I said, very streaky, and he had questionable shot selection. A lot of his shots did come from the mid-range, but there’s a couple stats I do want to dive into here that I think will add some more context. So, he shot just under 51% this year on layups. I think that can definitely improve at the next level, get him more polished. Like I said, he’s still a very raw talent. Um, on the other hand though, he had the highest net rating differential on his team, plus 16. He shot 61% on floaters. He shot just under 39% on catch and shoot threes. And when he was guarded on catch and shoot threes, he shot 44% from three. He shot almost 41% from three when moving off screens and he shot 75% on cuts. So, like I said, I feel like he was a lot more involved and you might not see that if you’re only watching a highlight clip, but if you go back and actually watch these games, he was a lot more involved than people make him out to be. Now, this tells a lot to me. Like I said, very streaky season. He shot 41.2% from three in his first 19 games, and he shot just 18% in his final 11. So, it was almost like a turning off of the switch. Uh, but again, you know, they were a bad team. They knew they weren’t making the tournament. Who knows how these things could contribute. Also, he’s playing with Dylan Harper, who is a top three prospect and a guy who has the ball in his hands most of the time. So, I think these things are important to keep in uh consideration. And when we look at Ace Bailey’s game logs from this year, he had five games of three blocks, one game of four blocks. I mean, look at the production this guy put up for a guy that doesn’t have a good dribble move Arsenal. I mean, he was pretty damn productive. And a couple games I want to keep an eye on here are the January 2nd game against Indiana. Dylan Harper did not play in this game. I believe he had an injury. And what did Ace Bailey do without Dylan Harper? He stepped up and he scored 39 points on 16 for 29. January 29th against North Northwestern. Went back and watched that game. No Dylan Harper again. What does Ace Bailey do? He puts up 37 points. So, I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to say that he’s not a primary creator. He can never become that when a couple times they didn’t have their their alpha, right? they didn’t have their guy and Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey took the reigns and stepped up. Now, again, similar to an NBA star, there’s going to be nights where he’s inefficient, where he’s just not hitting, and you’re going to get pretty frustrated. But I’m seeing more ways that he’s able to impact the game. Look at the rebound numbers. Look at the blocks numbers. When it comes to the 76ers, they have been asking for forwards for how long? This guy is 6’9. You can plug him in at the three or four. He can guard four positions on the floor and he’s just going to seamlessly fit as a rookie and down the road you hope he can develop that dribble that handle and be a compliment right and be more of a primary creator but those things can come over time and even if Paul George and Joel Embiid do not work out you think of a trio of Maxi McCain and Ace Bailey sounds very promising to me so I really like Ace Bailey’s game I like him a lot more after watching him Now, he does have to become a more consistent playmaker. He does have to have better vision and not get tunnel vision on the floor and he also probably needs to add a little bit of bulk at the next level. But if he can figure out some of these things and again he’s only 18 years old, I think he’s a really bright future. Now, let’s talk about VJ Edgecomb because he’s the other guy that has a lot of conversation going around. A lot of people that don’t like Ace think VJ is the for sure pick at number three. VJ to me is not a guy that would typically go number three in a class and maybe there’s other prospects that will rise up. It’s not because of his talent. It’s just because of what he contributes and what he adds. So in terms of VJ Edgecomb last year in his freshman year he averaged 15 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals. He shot 34% from three. Ace was 34.6. And here are some of his strengths. natural athleticism. I’m talking about elite level athleticism. Guy can jump out of the gym. Like I said last week, there’s a couple plays where he just drops your jaw. You go, “Whoa, how the heck did he make that chase down block? How did he make that that find or that steal or whatever the case may be?” Um, solid three-point shooter, especially on the spot up. He has a really good downhill line of speed to the basket. He can definitely get there on ball defender. He can be a defensive player of the year one day for sure. His point of attack defense is next level. Probably the best in this class. And for being an undersized guard at 6’5, a two guard, we’ll say he’s a pretty good rebounder. So, those are the things I like about VJ Edgecomb. Here’s some of the weaknesses I found. Limited as a shot creator, not really that efficient finishing at the rim. His pull-up three-point shooting is abysmal. And as a playmaker, he’s not that consistent. He’s really good in the pick and roll and like I said, he really just has like one speed really no change of speeds and he usually does make the right look whether it’s swinging it around the perimeter or driving and kicking but overall when I look at VJ Edgecomb I think for him to become an all-star level player one day he’s going to have to become more of a primary creator and it’s funny that the people that rag on Ace love VJ Edgecom because he has a lot of similar weaknesses like I said not that good of finisher at the rim. Um, you know, limited shot creation, doesn’t have a complete arsenal of dribble moves. So, it is interesting to me. Now, as it relates to VJ, here’s what I’ll say. This guy can impact winning on day one. Whereas Ace Bailey is a raw talent, has a lot of potential, but also a lot of risk. I think the floor for VJ Edgecomb is he’s going to be a stable role player for a long time. Like, he can impact winning day one. He’s going to have a couple big steals and a couple big transition buckets. Like, he’s going to wow everybody. But when I look at the future and I look at what you want to draft in a top three pick, Ace Bailey has a much higher ceiling. But anyway, let’s talk about VJ Edgecom because I also think he can be a star if he continues to develop his offensive game. So again, elite natural athleticism, great three-point shooter, above average downhill driving ability, and I think as a point of attack defender, he’s going to be a menace night to also an active cutter offball. I will say Ace Bailey is more of a cutter than I thought as well. I don’t feel like Baylor used it a lot with VJ Edgecom, but usually makes the right looks. Solid as a screener and a roller, just finds ways to impact winning. Matter of fact, if you look at some of his numbers here in his freshman year, he shot 20% from three on off the dribble threes. He shot 25% on off the dribble twos, and he shot 44% on layups. So, again, really not that efficient uh on the interior. There were also times where I noticed that not only was he sleeping, but he was more so just willing to play off the ball and not really be engaged. I saw a lot of engagement from Ace Bailey. And again, sometimes he was trying to overcompensate for his lack of dribble moves, but I feel like VJ is kind of an all-around player and he needs to kind of insert himself more uh in certain situations. VJ also was a streaky shooter. He shot 24% from three in his first eight games. Very cold start to the year and then he shot a lot better as the year went on. Uh he shot 36.3% on catch and shoot threes and he also shot 56% in transition. So, like I said, he’s able to run the floor. Like I said, the production was there. Um, they beat up on some bad teams this season. They also made the tournament. I thought he played really well in the tournament as well. First game he had 1910, three and three against Kansas State. VJ Edgecom is going to be a very good pro and he’s going to impact the team from day one, but overall just a very high impact player and you’re going to see it night toight on the stat sheet. Couple concerns that I would say about VJ Edgecomb. Number one, his wingspan is a little concerning as a 6’5 guard. He only has a 6’7 wingspan. And I also think there could be a little confusion on his positional fit. You know, like is he going to be a guard with a guy that really doesn’t have a handle? And can he make up for being so athletic with a great frame? This guy’s a great frame, great explosiveness, great athleticism. I feel like sometimes he lets that carry himself too far. like he just needs to continue to work on his handle, his footwork, his technique, things like that, and not just rely on the fact that, hey, I can jump higher than anybody on the floor. I can jump out of the gym. So, overall, when I look at these two players, I think both are going to make a good impact at the next level. I think they’re both going to be very talented players for whatever teams draft them. And I do think they’re both worthy of being in the top 10. But there are three things that I think separate Ace Bailey versus VJ Edgecom for me. Three reasons why I think I would go with Ace Bailey at the third overall pick. Number one is the elite measurables, traits, size, height, everything you want to see can translate to an NBA career and will help him down the line. I just think his natural blend of talent and athleticism is there and it’s very apparent. Number two is although VJ Edgecomb will be an impact player and his floor is not low at all compared to Ace Bailey, I think Ace Bailey’s ceiling is much higher than VJ Edgecom where VJ Edgecomb can be a borderline all-star and maybe a defensive player of the year candidate. I think Ace Bailey, if his game continues to develop, can be a multipletime all-star and can just be the guy that the Sixers have needed, another go-to score, another bucket. So although there is an investment with a lot of risk there, I believe in the long-term boom potential of Ace Bailey given his measurables, his traits, etc. And lastly, I think that Ace Bailey’s positional fit with the Sixers is perfect. I think it’s a perfect match. You look at the Sixers for years, they’ve just been looking for forwards. They need a forward. They need a natural three or four that can be plugged in and play. VJ Edgecomb is a 6’5 guard that doesn’t really have a strong handle. So, where does he fit? The Sixers should not be looking to add another guard into the timeline with Tyrese Maxi, Jared McCain, Quinton Grimes, and more. Matter of fact, VJ Edgecom reminds me a lot of the way Quinton Grimes plays. So, I do think there could be some overlap there. The Sixers might finally have a chance for a forward to fall into their lap. And I just think that the ceiling and the potential is too high to pass on a guy like Ace Bailey. So overall, that is why I think I would go with Ace Bailey. I think he just fits better and I think both of these players will be great. But if you have the right developmental staff and trainers and things like that to help Ace Bailey, a guy who’s still very raw, who showed this much production on a limited basis with a bad team around him outside of Dylan Harper, imagine what he can do at the next level. Who do you think the Sixers should go with, Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecomb? Appreciate everybody for tapping in. Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe. And as always, I will catch you on the next one.

The Sixers draft conversation continues, and it feels like the 3rd overall pick is coming down to two players: Ace Bailey & VJ Edgecombe. Today, we do a full breakdown of each player and compare the two. Ultimately, RB decides which player the Sixers should take with the 3rd overall pick. In other news, a new report suggests that Joel Embiid and Paul George will not be traded no matter what. Today, we discuss it all!

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