He’s Here, He’s There, He’s Every-f—ing-where, Vj Edgecombe

Ted Lasso became an iconic show in short order.

The Jason Sudeikis-led comedy series about an American football coach who becomes a football (soccer) coach became a cultural phenomenon.

One of the most popular characters is Roy Kent, the grizzled old veteran of A.F.C. Richmond. Kent, portrayed by writer and comedian Brett Goldstein, was once a star of the Premier League, but he’s on his last legs when we meet him in the show.

Fans of Kent made up a song at his peak, one they serenaded him with as he gets hurt and leaves the pitch for the final time.

He’s here, he’s there, he’s every-fucking-where, Roy Kent, Roy Kent

Though he’s only in his second year — and is the polar opposite of “grizzled” — VJ Edgecombe has embodied that song in his young NBA career. There was no clearer example of that than his performance in the Sixers’ 123-112 win over the Toronto Raptors Thursday night.

With LeBron James out of the lineup, Edgecombe stepped into a bigger role and looked comfortable in it.

“I’m blessed to have a group of guys around me that’s encouraging,” Edgecombe said postgame. “They help me with confidence.”

Edgecombe scored 15 points with multiple dazzling finishes at the rim, a couple serious dunks (and then teasing the possibility of doing the dunk contest postgame) and a three. He drove to the rim and made the right reads all night, finding his teammates for eight assists. He continued to crash the glass at a high level for a guard, pulling down eight rebounds. He also continued to defend at a high level, recording three steals and a block.

All of this and the general winning plays he makes on a nightly basis have become what’s expected of him.

“I just tell him to go do that VJ stuff,” Tyrese Maxey said. “Literally, that’s exactly what I tell him. I say, ‘Hey, man, go do that VJ stuff that you do,’ and he literally goes out there and does VJ stuff. He had 15, eight and eight tonight. Who knows? Next game it may be 20, four and four. He just does VJ stuff. He gets us loose balls. He makes winning plays. He defends. He scores. He does it all.”

So much of the noise this offseason surrounding the super team of James, Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown the Sixers have built was about Edgecombe. How would he handle his role changing? Would a drop in usage affect his development? Would the glut of stars hurt Edgecombe’s chances to put up numbers and earn his eventual rookie max extension?

Nights like Thursday show why those queries were silly.

“When I’m on the floor with those four other guys, it’s kind of in a way where it’s helpful for me,” Edgecombe said, “because I’m in different positions and I’m in a year two — I’m seeing basketball from different standpoints. Some nights two of them might be out. Some nights one might be out. Some nights none might be out. And to be able to just balance the different lineups and just trying to stay consistent throughout it all.

“I just want to shout out my teammates for that. They just helped me a lot, especially ‘Rese and Joel. They always just tell me keep going, keep going.”

Anyone who watched Edgecombe as a rookie and heard him talk knew he’d excel with this star-studded group. Last season, Edgecombe’s usage was unexpectedly high because the Sixers needed it to be. This season, they’ve needed Edgecombe to flash more of his overall game.

And 13 games in, that’s exactly what he’s done.

But when guys are out of the lineup, Edgecombe knows his team needs more.

“I think this is like the second time he’s done this as well when we’re down somebody that he just comes out a little bit more lively and assertive,” Nick Nurse said. “And I thought … he made some really decisive moves in the open floor — not necessarily break situations, but the flow is still going, and he’s punching through.

“And again, I thought he kicked out a few of those, and even on some of the half-court sets, he just attacked aggressively to the paint, and that’s where some of those assists were coming from. So, I just thought he did come with an extra pop, and he’s done that a couple times now this year.“

When Edgecombe was coming out of Baylor, there were comparisons to old friend Jimmy Butler. This writer didn’t see it at the time, but now it makes sense.

Some players simply impact winning. They affect the game in every facet. They stuff the stat sheet, but their imprint on the game goes far beyond it.

He’s here, he’s there, he’s every-fucking-where. VJ, Edgecombe

“I’m just blessed to be in this position,” Edgecombe said, “and at the end of the day, I just want to keep getting better. Some opportunities might not be there, but I think I’m getting better mentally, and that’s the most important part of the game. Sometimes you got to be mentally strong.”