The Philadelphia 76ers opened their regular season slate against the division rival Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. With Joel Embiid on a minutes restriction and Paul George out, it was up to the 76ers’ supporting cast to step up and close things out in a tight road battle. All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey naturally came through with a 40-point explosion, but he wasn’t in it alone. VJ Edgecombe, making his NBA debut, also showed out – and to a historic degree.
Here’s a quick breakdown of Edgecombe’s performance, which sparked a 117-116 opening night win for Philadelphia.
How did VJ Edgecombe do in his NBA debut?
In 42 minutes of action, Edgecombe was able to rack up 34 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and two turnovers. He finished the night with 50.75 fantasy points in DraftKings’ classic DFS scoring format. The 20-year-old guard shot 13-for-26 from the field and 5-for-13 from 3-point range. He also started 3-for-4 from the free throw line, until he missed both tries from the charity stripe with 8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Edgecombe made up for it on the other end, though, successfully locking up Payton Pritchard on his game-winning attempt at the buzzer.
Edgecombe’s 34 points were the third-most ever by a player in their NBA debut. Had he sank those two freebies in the final seconds, Edgecombe would have climbed up to No. 2 on the list. Wilt Chamberlain owns the record with his 43-point debut in 1959, while Frank Selvy ranks second with the 35 he dropped in 1954. In total, nine players have broken 30 points in their first NBA contest. John Drew, Maurice Stokes, Isiah Thomas, Willie Anderson, Allen Iverson and Lamar Odom make up the rest of the list.
That’s some pretty good company for Edgecombe, considering four of the eight previous rookies to achieve the feat wound up in the Hall of Fame. Six of the eight made multiple All-Star appearances, with Anderson and Odom standing apart as the lone exceptions in that regard. Still, Odom was a Sixth Man of the Year Award-winner and two-time NBA champion, plus both he and Anderson made the All-Rookie First Team.
Where does VJ Edgecombe rank in the NBA Rookie of the Year race?
Before the regular season tipped off, Edgecombe had the fourth-shortest odds to win Rookie of the Year at +1000. The No. 3 overall pick out of Baylor trailed only Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, all while leading Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Kasparas Jakucionis.
As of Thursday afternoon, Edgecombe now boasts +225 odds to win Rookie of the Year, per DraftKings Sportsbook. That is good for second behind only Flagg and his -140 odds, which are down from -175 preseason. Harper and Johnson are the next closest contenders at +1500.
What’s up next for Edgecombe and the 76ers?
Philadelphia is off until Saturday, when the team is set to face off against the Charlotte Hornets. From there, Edgecombe will get looks at the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards before taking on the Celtics again on October 31. That rematch marks the beginning of the NBA Cup group stage, so the stakes will be even higher than they were opening night.
It remains to be seen how Edgecombe’s playing time will change once Jared McCain returns from injury. McCain underwent surgery to repair a torn MCL in his left knee last December, then had another procedure to fix a torn UCL in his left thumb on September 30. For now, though, Edgecombe and Maxey will be the top dogs in the 76ers’ backcourt.
