Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe had quite the professional debut in his team's 117-116 win over the Boston Celtics. The Chicago Bulls could do worse in the 2026 NBA Draft than nabbing a 19-year-old who could potentially become the next Edgecombe in Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou.
Edgecombe made NBA history by scoring 34 points in the Sixers' victory. It marked the third-highest-scoring output by a rookie in his first game and the highest of the last 30 years.
Philadelphia made Edgecombe the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft after he starred in a one-and-done season with the Bears. Yessoufou is preparing to replace him at the same wing position in the same system that's pumped out Edgecombe and top-20 picks Ja'Kobe Walter and Keyonte George in the last three seasons.
But he has more in common with Edgecombe than just a green and yellow jersey.
Bulls select Tounde Yessoufou with No. 11 pick in 2026 NBA Mock Draft
Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 stocks (steals plus blocks) in his lone season in Waco. He measured 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds with a 6-foot-7½ wingspan and 8-foot-5 standing reach at the 2025 draft combine. He was perhaps the most explosive player in the entire class, as evidenced by his 38.5-inch vertical leap.
He wasn't the most efficient 3-point shooter (34.0 percent on 4.5 attempts per game), but his combination of strength, length, supreme athleticism and defensive production -- he set a Baylor freshman record with 68 steals in 33 games -- pointed to an elite on-ball defender and transition monster with the potential to become an All-Star-caliber 3-and-D wing.
Yessoufou has an eerily similar profile. He's well put together, measuring 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds with a 6-foot-8½ wingspan, per NBADraft.net. He's an explosive leaper who can get to the rim, finish through contact and get to the free-throw line at a high rate.
The same athleticism and play strength that made Edgecombe such a promising defensive prospect apply to Yessoufou -- he's big enough to bang with wings and forwards but quick enough and long enough to stick with guards. He's a legitimate four-position defender.
Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew will likely deploy Yessoufou in the same role Edgecombe filled, especially given their similar physical gifts and skill sets. He has an entire college season to play, but all the tools are present for him to become a top-five pick like Edgecombe was.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has Yessoufou mocked to the Bulls at No. 12 in his preseason 2026 predictions. If the 19-year-old has a breakout freshman season, he'll go much higher, but if he's still around when Chicago makes its choice, banking on his elite traits and similarity to a player who just poured in 34 points in his NBA debut would be worthy of a swing.