The first day of NBA Summer League action culminated in a matchup between two top-5 picks in Utah: V.J. Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Ace Bailey and the Utah Jazz. Only one of them posted a star-level performance.
That was Edgecombe, the No. 3 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. A high-motor, high-athleticism wing, Edgecombe looked like the best player on a floor full of guys who saw NBA action last season, posting 28 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
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Two of those points came on the dunk of the night, in which Edgecombe showed the kind of bounce you can’t teach:
It was the Jazz who won 93-89, though. Bailey finished the game with eight points on 3-of-13 shooting and seven rebounds.
Until a week or so before the draft, many expected the Sixers to take Bailey, seen as one of the highest-ceiling prospects in the class, but they ended up taking Edgecombe. They might have always preferred Edgecombe, or Bailey might have helped them make a decision after declining to work out for them. Regardless, Edgecombe made it look like the right decision for at least one night.
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The Sixers went to the Baylor product throughout the night and were frequently rewarded.
Meanwhile, Bailey entered the game with more attention around him than your usual No. 5 pick, thanks to his own camp’s actions. He made headlines when he reportedly became the only U.S.-based draft prospect to decline to work out for any teams before the draft, with the apparent goal of landing with a certain team early in the first round.
That team was reportedly not the Jazz, who took the risk of picking him fifth. After some post-draft awkwardness, Bailey reported to his new team and denied he ever had a problem starting his NBA career in Utah.
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Finally playing basketball again on Saturday, Bailey at least had his moments:
Among the other NBA rookies getting their first action were the stars of two Final Four teams. Johni Broome, formerly of Auburn, had a solid night with 13 points and five rebounds after the Sixers took him in the second round.
Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., the Final Four’s most outstanding player and the draft’s No. 18 pick, came off the bench for the Jazz and had nine points, six assists and three rebounds.
Kyle Filipowski, a second-round pick last year, led the Jazz with 22 points.
