The Philadelphia 76ers battled back from a double-digit second-half deficit to take down the Boston Celtics 117-116 on the road. Aside from notching a win over their most hated rival, it was a pretty special night for the Sixers for multiple reasons.
A lot of the questions surrounding the Sixers going into the season were answered on opening night. The three biggest takeaways from the win are actually the three biggest revelations that will shape and define the next 81 games and beyond.
Joel Embiid did not have a night to remember, tallying just four points on 1-9 shooting, but that is not the point. Embiid looks like he trusts his left knee for the first time since tearing his meniscus in February of 2024.
Embiid spent much of last season playing timid, often shying away from attacking because he did not have the burst or lift he was used to. In this game, he seemed much more comfortable operating in his spots on the floor, even if the shots were not going down.
Is he going to be exploding for dunks and jumping as high as he can to contest every shot at the rim like he used to? No, and he should not do those things either. But it appeared tonight that he is still athletically capable of doing those things, and that has to be a massive confidence boost for the big man.
Tyrese Maxey was the only known variable coming into this season. Joel Embiid's health is always a factor, Paul George is hurt and coming off a down year, and VJ Edgecombe has yet to play a regulation NBA game. If the Sixers want to be a winning basketball team, it is going to be on the back of Tyrese Maxey. And in night one, he answered that call.
Maxey scored a game-high 40 points on 13-24 shooting and a blistering 7-9 from behind the arc. He was the best player on the court tonight (including the guy we are about to get to), and the Sixers are going to need that to be a consistent trend.
The pull-up off the dribble looked as fluid as it ever has. He is going to get more catch-and-shoot reps where he really thrives. He clearly put on more muscle over the offseason to play with more physicality. He looks like a man who knows this is his team and franchise to lead forward now.
What. A. Debut.
VJ Edgecombe took the court at TD Garden in Boston to play his first NBA regular-season game, and it is a game he and the Sixers faithful will never forget.
History was written everywhere. Edgecombe scored 14 points in the first quarter, the most points scored in the opening quarter of a player's debut ever. He ended the game with 34 points, good for third all-time. He is only the fifth player ever to put up a total of 32 points or more in their debut, and the first in 51 years.
He was a human highlight reel from the opening tip. The Sixers have not had a vertical athlete of this caliber since KJ McDaniels in the true dog days of the Process Era, and he was not shy about throwing down a thunderous dunk to welcome himself to the league. His jumper looked fluid, canning 5-13 shots from distance and not showing any trepidation to fire the ball.
Watching VJ Edgecombe tonight looked like a player who was discovering how good they could be as the game slowed down for them. That type of evolution usually does not happen for a few years in the NBA. This was night one of year one. It is hard not to overreact and be hyperbolic about what we just saw. The Sixers have a budding superstar.
