CAMDEN, N.J. – How was being on Good Morning America?
"It was great," Sixers rookie guard VJ Edgecombe said with a wide smile. "Good opportunity to talk to different people… Super early after a late game, but it was great."
After scoring 34 points in his NBA debut, a comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, Edgecombe has become one of the most intriguing performers in the entire league. All eyes are on the No. 3 overall pick now, and they will remain that way when he takes the court for his first official game in front of Philadelphia fans on Saturday night.
In the latest Sixers soundbites, here's what Edgecombe had to say about his stellar debut, sharing the spotlight with Tyrese Maxey and what comes next in his evolution:
• Edgecombe on how he can build off of his debut:
"Just trying to take steps in the right direction, learn from film – I was watching film just now – just learning knowing team tendencies, knowing what they do. I’d say it's just a steady progression, though. That's all it is. I played one NBA game, man. That [doesn't] determine who I am as a player. So just continue to work and continue to grow."
• Edgecombe on how he and fellow guards Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain will eventually have to adjust their styles to accommodate Joel Embiid:
"I'm still learning everybody, and they’re all learning how to play with me on the floor. Nobody's style of play is changing at all. With Joel on the floor, we haven't seen a full – Jo played what, like 18 minutes last game? – so we know it's going to be different, but like I said, it's going to be better for us. It's going to be better for the team. He's so good. He's just so good at basketball. And Tyrese and Q and Jared are so good at basketball. They make the game easy. So we’re all just going to play off of each other. We all complement each other.”
• Edgecombe on whether or not his showing combined with Maxey's 40-point night is the best performance he has ever had in combination with a teammate:
"I mean, yeah. I mean, he had 40 points, so I would say that's the best. Definitely, I would say that's the best."
MORE: Dissecting the good and bad film from Sixers' win in Boston
• Edgecombe on what it is like to be on the floor during one of Maxey's heaters:
"Man, it's so crazy. I was actually watching when he started. I was watching from the bench. I'm like, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ I just realized how good he is, man. He's really good. And being able to have a teammate like that, it helped me. I wasn't expecting to have wide open shots like that. Like, super wide open. He requires so much attention. So, man, he's good, man. He's only getting better."
• Edgecombe on if he has any additional juice heading into a matchup against No. 4 overall pick Kon Kneuppel:
"Nah, every game is the same. I don't, I'm not looking at them. I'm not trying to compare myself. Comparison is the thief of joy. So I'm trying to be happy on the floor. I'm trying to have fun. I'm not worried about a certain player on the floor. They're a team full of good players, and my main goal is just going there and winning, to be honest. That's the main thing for me. I don't compare myself to other draft picks or anything like that."
• Edgecombe on if anything from Wednesday's film stood out as far as what he needs to improve on:
"How to read the floor. That's the main thing, just seeing things before it happens, knowing where defenders are, knowing what other teams like to do, knowing tendencies. So that's the main thing I study."
• Edgecombe on if he has noticed additional fanfare since his debut and if he expects to receive a major on Saturday:
"Nobody’s really seen me. I've been in my house. I haven't been out. Far as I go to my car. And my windows are tinted, so you can't see if that's me or not… Even before the season they were showing love to me. I just want to keep getting better so the city's happy. We want to win, man. That’s the main goal for us."
• Edgecombe on if he is excited about the idea of Saturday's game having a particularly good atmosphere:
"To be honest, man, I know Philly fans are passionate. So I’m expecting every game to be like that, if I had a good game or not. I was expecting it to be like that. Just credit to the fans for just showing love to the city, showing love to the sports teams. That's the main thing. We all just try to have a connection with the fans. We're regular people also. So just having a connection with the fans, it means a lot."
MORE: Sixers weekly preview… Will momentum earned on opening night carry over?
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdamFollow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice