Hornets, 76ers' Rookies Impress in Narrow Win for Philadelphia

The Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers met on Saturday in a contest that went down to the wire.

Led by a game-high 28 points from Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia came away with a 125-121 win to improve to 2-0 on the season. For Charlotte, who fell to 1-1 with the loss, star guard LaMelo Ball scored 27 points.

Alongside the two stars, each team got solid contributions from members of its rookie class.

VJ Edgecombe logged another solid game for the 76ers, and a trio of first-year players chipped in for the Hornets.

Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, followed up his 34-point debut performance with 15 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in 40 minutes. The Baylor product shot 6-of-15 from the field and 1-of-3 from 3-point range in the starting lineup while helping the 76ers to another win.

Edgecombe finished the contest as a +9 in the box score.

For Charlotte, No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel also had another strong performance. The skilled wing tallied 14 points, 3 rebounds and an assist in 30 minutes off the bench while shooting 5-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Alongside Knueppel, the rookie's former Duke teammate and fellow 2025 NBA Draft pick Sion James was a positive contributor off the bench. The No. 33 pick finished with 10 points, 2 rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from deep.

Ryan Kalkbrenner was selected by the Hornets one pick after James. So far, the former Creighton big man has outperformed his draft position, turning in an impressive debut performance before another strong showing agaisnt Philadelphia.

On Saturday night, Kalkbrenner got his second career start and tallied 14 points, 7 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and just one turnover in 26 minutes on the floor.

Despite the loss, Kalkbrenner finished as a +1 in the box score while James finished as a +3.

The 7-footer shot 7-for-7 from the field in the loss and is shooting 92.3% from the field in his first two NBA games while averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds per game.

While the season is still early, the Hornets and 76ers' rookie classes seem to be offering good returns for both teams. There could be more uptapped potential from each class, too, with Charlotte first-round pick Liam McNeeley and Philadelphia second-rounder Johni Broome still trying to find their way into the rotation.

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