The Philadelphia 76ers turned in a riveting win on their first game of the season, escaping Boston with a 117-116 win to start their campaign on a high note. As usual, Tyrese Maxey led the way for the team, finishing the night with 40 explosive points as if to signal that his performance last season comes with a mitigating asterisk.
The same, however, cannot be said of Joel Embiid. While one regular season game, especially the foremost one, does not tell the entire story, he was blatantly terrible in this one. In 20 minutes of court time, he could only muster four points on one of nine shooting from the field, also missing all four of his three-point attempts.
Yet despite those overarching storylines, perhaps the biggest one to come out of their first game is the fact that rookie VJ Edgecombe absolutely stole the show in Boston, finishing his first game in the NBA with 32 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Those two missed free-throws to end the game put the team in peril, but thankfully, the team managed to get a couple of defensive stops to finally ice the game and give the rookie a sign of relief.
That part of the game, however, is merely subliminal. The most important thing is that the 76ers were greatly vindicated in their choice to draft Edgecombe, who is everything Maxey is looking for in a backcourt partner.
The 76ers finally gave Tyrese Maxey his longtime wish in VJ Edgecombe
Maxey never had a backcourt co-star built the same way Edgecombe is. James Harden was no longer in his athletic prime when he was in Philadellphia, and since then, Maxey has not had a stable partner at the guard positions.
Unlike Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes, who are more of “finesse” players, Edgecombe can impose his will on the floor and above the rim with his superb athleticism. He is also already a good defender at this juncture, making him an ideal all-around piece to pair with the offense-heavy Maxey.
Put simply, Edgecombe is everything Maxey wants in a backcourt partner. He already has an eclectic play style predicated on instincts and innate talent, and it’s only a matter of time until he gets to be more consistent with his shot profile, secondary playmaking, and defensive ability.
This is a brilliant sign for the 76ers, and given what we have all seen so far, the odds of Edgecombe not panning out is close to nil.