PHILADELPHIA -- As the Philadelphia 76ers move ahead to the playoffs after clinching the No. 7 seed in the play-in tournament, they will be relying a lot on rookie VJ Edgecombe to continue to make a big impact.Edgecombe had 19 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's play-in tournament win over the Orlando Magic and got his first taste of the postseason. The Sixers will be looking to him to make an impact against a veteran-laden, battle-tested Boston Celtics team in Round 1 of the playoffs. The Sixers have a slew of veterans who have stepped up and helped Edgecombe along the way, but none more than Paul George.

The 9-time All-Star continues to step up as a mentor, even while he was out due to his 25-game suspension, he took Edgecombe under his wing in order to help the rookie acclimate to the league quickly."I mean, I think he asks questions," George said. "It comes natural. He wants to learn.

He wants to get better. He wants to see what I'm seeing, and he wants to kind of just dissect the game and look at it differently. So, the relationship is just natural."A maniacal worker, Edgecombe has been working with George after practice and shootaround in order to get better and take steps forward as a player.

It has helped him improve as a player and take the necessary steps needed to be a great player in this league. They do a lot of on-court work along with film sessions to understand what has to be done."After practice, we go find our space on the other side of the court, and we'll do our work, and he'll tell me a situation that he had in a prior game, or something will come up, and we'll have a session," George continued. "Like, let's unpack that.

What are you looking at? And then I'll be like ‘Here’s what I’d do in this situation just to get to my spots, or try to find space in that play.’ So it's just a natural relationship that we have in the court."It's obvious that Edgecombe has a thirst to be great. He works hard and he loves to watch film and improve at a high rate.

Therefore, he will continue to look to George and others in order to take the proper steps forward as a player. It helps that George has so much respect for him already for what he's done at this level."Like I said, he's been a little brother, and, you know, I love the kid," George finsihed. "He's a good kid, great teammate, good kid. He's an all around superstar."This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Paul George opens up on relationship with Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe