BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
76er fans didn’t know what to expect coming into a season filled with many uncertainties surrounding the health of their two aging stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George. But if the debut of their new look backcourt showed anything, it’s that the future might still be sunny in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia rookie VJ Edgecombe showed up and showed out in his debut, scoring a historic 34 points, the most points by a rookie in their first NBA game since Frank Selvy in 1954. The 6-foot-4 guard is the first player to score at least 30 points with 5 or more threes made.
It’s certainly a great start, but you know that there is tons of room, different things he needs to do,” 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said. “I’d like to see him be a little more aggressive on the open floor. I think he’s still really got that in his game. I think he can take it to some spots inside the three-point line and vault up and score. We saw a couple of those that he missed, things like that, but it’s an amazing first game performance, it really is.”
The rookie guard received more than his fair share of help from the 76ers’ star point guard, Tyrese Maxey. Maxey scored 40 points as the Philadelphia backcourt combined for 74 points on their way to a 117-116 win against the Boston Celtics for their first victory of the season.
Edgecombe’s athletic ability and explosiveness were a given coming into the league, but if the rookie guard can shoot the way he shot in his debut, the Sixers could have a scary backcourt on their hands for many years to come.
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