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Sixers Rookie Bests LeBron James In NBA Debut

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By the time that the Philadelphia 76ers were on the clock, everyone knew that they were leaning towards using the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on hyper-athletic Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe. He didn’t initially seem to be their preferred choice, as they were fascinated by Rutgers phenom freshman Ace Bailey. On the outside looking in were scoring-minded Texas freshman Tre Johnson.

It was only one game, but after the Sixers’ season opener against the Boston Celtics, they’re probably smiling ear to ear about the prospect that they decided to go with. In what turned out to be a narrow 117-116 victory, Edgecombe was absolutely spectacular. Taking advantage of the increased space he gets at the pro level, he attacked the rim with ferocity. He wasn’t afraid to shoot from long-distance, with exactly half (13) of his shot attempts coming from 3. Last but not least, he was a two-way playmaker, making connective passes and playing hard nosed defense.

Sixers Rookie VJ Edgecombe Bests LeBron James In NBA Debut

By the end of the first quarter, Edgecombe had 14 points, breaking Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James‘s previous record (12) for the most points in the first quarter of an NBA debut (h/t NBA on Prime), which he set in 2003 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

By the end of the game, Edgecombe had amassed 34 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 42 minutes. He shot 13-26 from the field and 5-13 from 3. The only real blemish in the box score was his free-throw conversion rate (3-6, 50.0%).

Edgecombe’s performance didn’t just overshadow James’s though.

He bested Sixers legend Allen Iverson‘s rookie debut, which he ended with 30 points. He had scored the most points a rookie scored in their NBA debut since Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain/a> (43 points in 1959). It was actually the third-most points scored by a rookie in their NBA debut all-time, with 1954 first overall pick Frank Selvy scoring 35 points.

Edgecombe probably won’t be scoring 34 points on 50.0% shooting from the field every game. Nevertheless, he could hardly have done any better in his first official NBA outing. On Wednesday night, that’s all that mattered.

Comparing The Rookies

One game doesn’t make a player. However, as previously mentioned, Philadelphia was also seriously intrigued by Bailey and Johnson ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft. With that in mind, it’s worth looking at how those potential Sixers selections looked in their NBA debut.

After a riveting preseason performance with the Utah Jazz, who drafted him fifth overall, Bailey was moved to the bench. This is ironic as one of the reasons he was so selective about the teams he worked out for pre-draft was his desire to be a Day 1 starter. In 20 minutes, he recorded two points, two assists, and four rebounds. He went 1-5 from the field and 0-2 from 3. Right now, those who were rooting for him to fail because they were turned off by his desire to control where he was drafted suddenly feel vindicated.

Johnson performed pretty well for the Washington Wizards, who drafted him sixth overall. Ironically, the Wizards were the team that Bailey wanted to get drafted by. Nevertheless, Johnson’s a high upside hooper who truly loves the sport. That and his prodigious scoring ability will be enough for D.C., at least for now. In Johnson’s NBA debut, he tallied 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 26 minutes. He shot 5-11 from the field, doing most of his damage from beyond the arc, where he went 4-8.

© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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