Edgecombe, Fears Led NBA Rookie Performances Wednesday

The association featured 12 games on Wednesday night, as a majority of the league took to the hardcourt in hopes of kicking off the 2025-26 regular season with a win.

The 2025 NBA Draft infused the league with even more depth, and plenty of NBA newbies got burn in the league-wide action. The No. 1 pick in Cooper Flagg faced off No. 2 in Dylan Harper, and the rest of the lottery picks and beyond were finally able to officially make their debuts.

Here were three of the top rookie performances from Wednesday night:

VJ Edgecombe, 76ers

Of all of Tuesday’s rookie performers, none got close to touching VJ Edgecombe’s opening dominance.

The league’s No. 3 pick scored 34 points on 50% shooting from the field, managing to lead the team in shot attempts with 26. He his five of his 13 attempted triples, adding seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in the process.

Even better, Edgecombe’s performance was genuinely needed, as former MVP Joel Embiid scored just five points, and 76ers’ not named Tyrese Maxey were, for the most part, less than stellar.

Philadelphia upset Boston, 117-116, cementing a more-than-memorable night for Edgecombe and the Sixers.

Cedric Coward, Grizzlies

Several players scored the same or more than Coward did in his debut, but none more efficiently or impact-fully.

The Grizzlies’ forward scored a bench-high 14 points on perfect shooting, hitting all five of his field goals and all four of his free throws in a narrow Memphis win. He tacked on three rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in finishing far-and-away with a team-high plus-minus of +24.

Coward has made an essential Division II to NBA jump, having played only a handful of games at Washington State, meaning his quick start is something special.

Coward will largely looked at for defense in his debut season, but he had it going in the scoring department Wednesday.

Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans

In the same game, though on the losing end, was Pelicans’ guard Jeremiah Fears, who has continued to look stellar through professional play.

He was one of a few rookie standouts through preseason, and parlayed his success easily into the regular season. He scored a bench-high 17 points on 70% shooting, adding in a mix of everything offensively.

He has two times and two turnovers, but the Pelicans’ couldn’t ask for much more in the scoring department, especially considering starting point guard Jordan Pools went for the same number on less than 50% shooting.