The Philadelphia 76ers started their season off with a bang on Wednesday night as they beat the Boston Celtics in comeback fashion. Securing a 117-116 victory on the road in the first game of the season was encouraging in itself, but the way they won could have changed the entire outlook of the season.

Despite the Sixers’ leading star, Joel Embiid, scoring just four points on 11.1% shooting from the field, Philadelphia managed to have a solid game offensively. This is much thanks to their new star backcourt duo, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, who scored a combined 74 points. 

Maxey finished the night with an impressive 40 points and six assists on 77.8% shooting from beyond the arc on nine attempts. While this performance was unbelievable, it was Maxey’s co-star in the backcourt who stole the show. 

VJ Edgecombe Sets Mark for Season with Historical NBA Debut 

After scoring 14 points in his first quarter of NBA action, Edgecombe didn’t let up, finishing the night with 34 points and seven rebounds. His 34 points were the most in a player’s NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain in 1959, and the most in 76ers history.

Additionally, in 42 minutes, Edgecombe turned the ball over just twice, which is extremely impressive considering he was controlling the offense for the majority of the game.

The only “rookie mistake” he made was his two missed free throws at the end of the game, but he made up for it on defense as Philly closed out the victory. 

Following this historic performance, Edgecombe made a huge jump in the Rookie of the Year race as he now has the second-best odds to win the award behind only Cooper Flagg. His opening odds for the award were set at +2200, and after his first game, they jumped to +300. 

Now, Edgecombe is all the way down to +225 odds according to DraftKings, and he has a real chance at the award if he continues this level of play. While he can’t be expected to sustain 34 PPG throughout the entire season, if he can be a key player on a playoff team, he’ll absolutely have a shot at passing Flagg in the race.

For comparison, Flagg scored just 10 points to go along with 10 rebounds in his debut for the Dallas Mavericks, which is still a great debut, but Edgecombe took the spotlight completely. Edgecombe also passed the “eye test” with flying colors, displaying how comfortable he is already playing at the highest level. 

Though it’s only been one game, Edgecombe appears to be a perfect fit on the Sixers, and he already knows how to make his presence on the team felt. For him to have this confidence and poise in game one, it’s clear that he’s only going to continue to get better and further develop into a star in the NBA.