It feels like yesterday the Sixers landed the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The debates ensued, but ultimately, the team chose VJ Edgecombe out of Baylor.
It’s only one game, but that appears to have been a wise choice by Daryl Morey and company.
Edgecombe dropped 34 while Tyrese Maxey poured in 40 as the Sixers won a thriller over the Celtics
, 117-116, in Boston on opening night Wednesday.Here are three takeaways from a fun night to start the 2025-26 season.
Holy shit, VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey
Edgecombe was sensational from
the opening tip. He scored 14 points in the first quarter — the highest mark in an opening quarter in a NBA debut ever, passing some guy named LeBron James. He was aggressive and decisive, not looking like a rookie for most of the contest.
He was explosive, blowing by defenders and finishing at the rim. He largely made the right reads when the defense collapsed on him. He took all the open threes that came his way (he went 5-of-13 on the night). He crashed the glass and was in the passing lanes. All in all, you couldn’t ask for much more.
The 34 points are a franchise record in a NBA debut, passing some guy named Allen Iverson, and the most scored in a debut since some guy named Wilt Chamberlain in 1959. He also stuffed the rest of the stat sheet with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. Oh, he only had two turnovers in over 42 minutes of action.
But aside from the gaudy stats, Edgecombe showed what makes him a winning player in the guts of the game. With less than 30 seconds left and the Sixers clinging to a 113-11 lead, Jaylen Brown missed a runner. Xavier Tillman got the offensive rebound and missed the ensuing put-back. Edgecombe soared in for that rebound, but was quickly tied up by Payton Pritchard. Edgecombe then won the jump ball. After a timeout, the team inbounded the ball to the rookie, who coolly sank both free throws after the Celtics were forced to foul.
The only moment that could even be construed as a rookie one was Edgecombe then missing two free throws after a Pritchard three. The Sixers stood tall defensively on the next possession and held on for the win. Suffice it to say, Edgecombe’s teammates were thrilled for him.
Meanwhile, Maxey dropped 40 in Boston on opening night … and it was a subplot.
It was a bit of a slow start for Maxey as Edgecombe was cooking early. In the second quarter, Maxey was electric, scoring 19 points and helping the Sixers secure a halftime lead. It was a quiet third quarter for Maxey as the team’s offense went totally stagnant and Boston spent most of the period at the free throw line. A 57-51 Sixers’ halftime lead flipped to an 86-75 deficit heading into the fourth.
It was Maxey again who took the game over. He scored 15 of the Sixers’ 42 fourth-quarter points. Maxey’s shot-making was ridiculous. He was excellent at all three levels, including nailing 7-of-9 from deep. He also had a team-high six assists on the night. Maxey wasn’t an All-Star selection last season and had a difficult year. This was a statement game for any of those who might’ve soured on the young guard. He was sensational.
For one night, Maxey and Edgecombe looked like an ideal pair. Not many NBA backcourts (maybe not any?) boast the explosiveness of this duo. It was a fun night for what appears to be a bright future.
The Standard is The Standard
On media day, Maxey talked about the Sixers having a standard — a way they play every night, regardless of who’s in the lineup. Wednesday was a decent start to setting that standard.
Sure, the Sixers needed every one of the 74 points Maxey and Edgecombe combined for, but they don’t win without some serious contributions from others and displaying serious grit down the stretch.
Overshadowed by how great the guard duo played was the Sixers debut of Dominick Barlow. Signed to a two-way deal this offseason, it was a bit of a surprise to see the 22-year-old in the starting lineup. He certainly did not look out of place, crashing the glass and doing a lot of the dirty work necessary around the team’s stars. Barlow stuffed the stat sheet, recording 13 points, eight rebounds (five offensive), five assists and one block.
Jabari Walker was also signed to a two-way deal, in hopes of helping the team’s perceived hole at the four spot. Walker was also solid in just under 19 minutes with six points and four rebounds. There was a stretch in the fourth quarter where Nick Nurse went small with Barlow and Walker as the team’s frontcourt — and it was the right call at that point of the game.
There’s a strong chance one (both?) of these guys is going to be right up against their allotted NBA days. But having two two-way guys being too good you need to play them? That’s a caviar problem on par with the team having too many talented young guards.
The other two guys who deserve a ton of credit are Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes. Neither player had the game they wanted, but both came up big down the stretch. Oubre was plagued by weird decision-making again, but nailed a huge three and drew an offensive foul late in the fourth quarter, which helped the Sixers take the lead for good. Grimes had a rough first three quarters, but made a bunch of enormous plays on both ends to close the game.
Both guys toughed out rough performances to still contribute to a win. Not a bad standard to set.
We Have to Talk About Embiid
Let’s get this out of the way first — we have to talk about Joel Embiid, but if your main takeaway from last night is anything about Embiid, you’re telling on yourself. You like to complain. That’s fine. Whatever blows your hair back.
Embiid didn’t look good. He shot 1-of-9, looked a step slow defensively and seemed sped up on the offensive end. It’s one game and he hadn’t played a regular-season NBA game since Feb. 22. That’s eight months. When is the last time Embiid went eight months without playing a competitive basketball game? The longest stretch appears to be after having surgery on his first torn meniscus during January of his rookie season. All that to say, maybe we wait a tick before making any sweeping declarations.
Is it worrisome? Sure. Nobody will feel like Embiid has returned to form until we see it. Concern is fair. Writing him off entirely seems a bit premature. If you thought he’d be in NBA game shape after all that time off and playing in a single preseason game, again, you’re telling on yourself.
Who knows what kind of season Embiid will have, but it’s a fool’s errand to determine the type of year he’s going to have after one game, especially given the context. It’s also worth noting that Embiid is a notoriously slow starter, even in seasons when he’s been healthy. Let’s circle back after a few more games.
