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What the Celtics said about Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe’s historic debut
"I don't know if I've ever seen someone have that in their debut. He had a really good game."
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe put on the third-highest scoring rookie debut performance in NBA history during Wednesday’s season opener at TD Garden.
Edgecombe poured in 34 points, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain and Frank Selvy, both of whom hit their marks in the 1950s. Philadelphia’s franchise record was 30 points, which Allen Iverson scored in his first game in 1996.
“He’s obviously a really good player,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He scored, hit five threes. Got to the free-throw line a little bit but got a lot in transition. He’s just a good player so it’s a credit to them and when we play them we have to be better at defending him.”
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Edgecombe made half of his 26 field-goal attempts and grabbed seven rebounds. The rookie made his presence felt on a night when the Sixers were without Paul George and getting almost no offense from former MVP Joel Embiid (4 points, 1-9 from the field).
“For a rookie to come in, first game, and put up (that much) was impressive,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone have that in their debut. He had a really good game.”
The Celtics held the Sixers to 18 points in the third quarter, but Philadelphia exploded for 42 in the fourth, closing out the game with a flourish. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 40 points.
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“I think just tendencies,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said. “We let Maxey get going and we’ve got to do a better job especially on one of their better players on the floor. Got to pay more attention to him, we kind of let him run free a little bit. Somebody has to make sure, we can’t let that happen.”
“I don’t know if we were too focused on the offensive end. We can’t let guys just come in here and do what they want.”
Edgecombe set the tone in the first quarter, scoring 12 points which broke LeBron James’s record for most points by a rookie in the first quarter of a debut.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 Draft, and he played like it on Wednesday night. With him and Maxey in the fold, Philadelphia now has an athletic backcourt pairing that could be around for years to come. Maxey is 24. Edgecombe is 20.
The Celtics were obviously shorthanded without Jayson Tatum, but they let a rookie steal the show on opening night.
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