CAMDEN, N.J. — By his third day of NBA Draft hoopla, VJ Edgecombe was looking for when the basketball would start again.
That message found purchase for the guy sitting next to him Friday at the 76ers practice facility. Johni Broome spent five years in college, accumulating 2,696 points at Morehead State and Auburn. His evaluations at the NBA Combine, including a vertical leap that went viral in not the way he wanted, contributed to the forward dropping to the 76ers with the 35th overall pick.
That would be a concern if the 76ers played in the National Combine Jumping Association. But as the “B” in NBA still stands for “basketball,” he’s confident in his ability to contribute.
“I think we’re here to play basketball,” Broome said at an introductory press conference. “And they thought that I was a good basketball player. All the things that go inside of it can be taken however you want to take it, but at any day, it’s still playing basketball. So I think I contribute to winning.”
There are plenty of differences between the two newest 76ers. Among the biggest is a three-year age gap, Broome turning 23 in July two weeks before Edgecombe is 20. The 6-4 guard traveled a path from the Bahamas to Baylor. Broome, a Florida native who spent two years at Morehead State before leading Auburn to a Final Four, played 168 games in college to Edgecombe’s 33.
But both are in Philly hoping to join a reclamation rotation from last year’s 24-58 disaster. And both brought healthy chips on their shoulders.
Edgecombe’s stems from being just the eighth Bahamian-born player to suit up in the NBA. His home meant he had to battle onto peoples’ radars. He doesn’t expect that hearing his named called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will change that.
“The main thing they told me is I have to work for it,” he said. “Just putting in whatever, fitting in whatever Coach (Nick) Nurse has going on.”
Neither had discussed role specifics with Nurse, Daryl Morey or any of the 76ers’ brass. Edgecombe figures to be part of a backcourt rotation headed by Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, to which the 76ers hope to retain restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. He’s got elite defensive upside and reiterated his affinity for that side of the ball.
“Growing up, if you wanted to play, you had to play defense,” Edgecombe said. “So I feel like that’s where it all started for me. And I just hate to see people score, and I hate to lose. And if they score more points than you, you lose. And I hate losing. So if I have to play defense the whole time, I love doing that.”
Broome has a similar tenacity. He went through the draft process two years ago before returning to Auburn, a decision that netted averages of 18.6 points and 10.8 rebounds this season. He met with the 76ers then, and some of their feedback about his on-court motor, rebounding and physicality landed. He thinks that the club seeing those improvements made him attractive at 35.
The 6-10, 235-pounder is a positional tweener. He’s not an out-and-out stretch 4. His poor vertical leaping at the Combine indicates he’s not an elite rim protector. But for all the draft speak about floors and ceilings, Broome can play basketball at a high level, especially on the offensive end.
That’s valuable to him. He’s grateful that it is to the Sixers, too.
“When you hate losing, you do whatever it takes,” he said. “And if that’s owning up to your mistake or calling out one of your teammate’s mistakes, I think that’s what helps winning. When everybody’s bought in and everybody’s on the same page of willing to win, I think that’s where it comes from.”
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Impacting both players were reports about player options revealed later Friday.
Andre Drummond is exercising his $5 million option for 2025-26. The backup center was limited to 40 games last year by a nagging toe injury. His return would mean more minutes for Broome and second-year Adem Bona at power forward.
The 76ers are reportedly declining a $2.3 million option on guard Jared Butler. Acquired last year from Washington, Edgecombe’s arrival drops him to at best fifth in the rotation, pending decisions by Eric Gordon (player option) and free agent Kyle Lowry.
