VJ Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 117-116 in their 2025-26 NBA season opener on Wednesday at TD Garden in Boston.Edgecombe finished with 34 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal on 13-for-26 shooting, including 5-for-13 from 3-point range. In 42 minutes, he also went 3-for-6 from the free-throw line and committed just two turnovers.Philadelphia selected Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick of the 2025 NBA draft, and he is expected to contribute heavily to the team. Last season, the Sixers finished with a 24-58 record and missed the playoffs.In his lone collegiate season with the Baylor Bears in 2024-25, Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game on 43.6% shooting, including 34.0% from 3-point range.On Wednesday, Edgecombe started his first NBA game and scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range, in the opening quarter. In 11 minutes, he also had two assists and went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. The Sixers trailed 28-26 after the first period.In the second quarter, Edgecombe played 10 minutes and added two points, two rebounds, a steal and a turnover. At halftime, the 20-year-old rookie had 16 points, two rebounds and two assists on 6-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-7 on 3-pointers. The Sixers outscored the Celtics 31-23 in the second quarter to take a 57-51 lead into the halftime break.Edgecombe played the entire third quarter and had nine points, four rebounds, an assist and a turnover on 4-for-9 shooting (1-for-4 on 3-pointers). He had 25 points through three quarters. The Sixers trailed 86-75 heading into the fourth period.In the final frame, Edgecombe scored nine more points, including going 2-for-4 from the free-throw line down the stretch. The rookie played 42:12 minutes in his NBA debut.VJ Edgecombe's stats tonightPLAYERMINFGMFGAFG%3PM3PA3P%FTMFTAFT%REBASTSTLBLKTOPTS+/-VJ Edgecombe42:1213265051338.536507310234-2Nick Nurse expresses excitement about VJ Edgecombe's potentialCooper Flagg and Dylan Harper were locks to be the first and second picks of the 2025 NBA draft, and pundits have projected Ace Bailey to be No. 3. However, VJ Edgecombe had a late rise to be the third pick.Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse praised the 6-foot-5 rookie's upside, saying that the team did not expect him to be as ready as he is for a role with the Sixers."I think we thought, 'OK, maybe he could play on the ball some,' and we were talking about, 'Let's do it at summer league,'" Nurse said on Friday, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey. "But where we’re at, I think he’s way ahead of where we thought he might be, being able to do that."VJ Edgecombe finished with 26 points and six rebounds in the Sixers' final preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. With Nurse praising Edgecombe's potential, he might play a key role in what Philadelphia hopes to be a deep postseason run in 2025-26.