The No. 3 pick scored a record 34 points, and the No. 1 pick was crushed with 29! The debut of the 2025 rookie was too crazy.

On October 23, the NBA regular season ushered in the collective debut of the 2025 draft lottery players. In the 12 games on this day, the top five draft picks, including No. 1 pick Flagg, all appeared on the court, providing fans with a visual feast of rookie style. Surprisingly, the overall performance of this year's draft players is remarkable, and the quality is significantly higher than last year, which fully proves that 2025 is indeed a big draft year.

Edgecomb, the No. 3 overall pick, stunned everyone, setting a team record with 34 points.

Among all rookies, the most dazzling performance was undoubtedly VJ Edgecomb, the No. 3 overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers. In an away game against the Boston Celtics, he shot 13 of 26 from the field and 5 of 13 three-pointers, scoring 34 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. What's even more impressive is that he showed off his dunks during the game, fully demonstrating his physical talents.

With Embiid restricted and George unable to play, Edgecomb took up the offensive banner of the team and worked with Maxey to lead the 76ers to victory. Although he missed two crucial free throws before the end, giving the Celtics a chance to kill, but fortunately, Pritchard missed consecutive kill shots, and the 76ers finally won in danger.

Edgecomb's 34 points not only surpassed Iverson's 30-point record that year, becoming the 76ers' highest scorer in a debut, but also the third-highest debut score in NBA history, trailing only Chamberlain's 43 points in 1959 and Frank Selvy's 35 points in 1954. Such a debut performance undoubtedly made people look forward to his future.

No. 1 pick Flagg suffered a setback in his debut, with a plus-minus value of -29, the worst in the game.

In sharp contrast to Edgecombe, No. 1 pick Flagg was the first pick. He recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds on 4-of-13 shooting in the Dallas Mavericks' home game against the San Antonio Spurs. However, his plus-minus was an astonishing -29, the worst in the game.

Flagg's debut was a "nightmare". He didn't score for the first time in his career until the second half. To make matters worse, he was completely unable to prevent the Mavericks from being completely crushed by Bunyama, and the game entered garbage time early. For the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, this debut was a vivid NBA lesson.

It is worth noting that Flagg does not seem to have fully adapted to his role as a point guard in the NBA. He did not provide a single assist in the entire game, but made 3 turnovers. This suggests that he still needs more time to hone his skills and adapt to the pace and intensity of the NBA game.

Second pick Harper's performance is stable, the new hope of the Spurs bench

In contrast, second pick Harper's performance is much more stable. He came off the bench in the Spurs' away game against the Mavericks and had 22 minutes and 41 seconds of playing time. He made 7 of 14 shots and scored 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

With Bunyama's outstanding performance in the game attracting most of the attention, Harper's performance has been overlooked to a certain extent. But in fact, he showed a mature view of the overall situation in the game, and even though he was new to the NBA, he was still able to take bold shots. Especially in the second quarter, his outstanding performance became an important reason for the Spurs to widen the point difference.

Of course, as a rookie, Harper also exposed some problems. He committed 4 turnovers and 5 fouls throughout the game, indicating that he is still adjusting to the NBA's competitive rhythm. In addition, the running-in between him and Wen Banyama also needs to be strengthened. But overall, Harper's debut performance was satisfactory.

No. 4 pick Knupel showed shooting talent, No. 5 pick Bailey performed sluggishly

No. 4 pick Knuppel started the Charlotte Hornets' home game against the Brooklyn Nets and got 25 minutes and 29 seconds of playing time. He shot 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, finishing with 11 points and 5 rebounds to help his team win a big victory.

Although the Hornets have accumulated many young players, Knuupel did not gain too much tactical status, but he still contributed as much as possible to the team's shooting in his limited time. It's a solid example of why he's considered one of the best shooters in this draft class.

In contrast, No. 5 pick Bailey's debut performance was disappointing. This player, who is known as the "most exciting rookie", played in the Utah Jazz's home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Although the team crushed the opponent in only the first quarter and made the game lose suspense early, his performance was not satisfactory. He made 1 of 5 in the game, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and only scored 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

It is understood that Bailey may have been affected by illness. He was upgraded from doubtful to playing before the game. As the preseason rookie scoring champion, Bailey's regular season debut obviously did not meet people's expectations and failed to show his sharp scoring ability.

Other lottery players performed differently. Chinese player Yang Hansen made his debut

In addition to the top five picks, other lottery rookies also performed well.. No. 6 pick Trae Johnson of the Washington Wizards scored 16 points and 5 rebounds, No. 7 pick Fells of the New Orleans Pelicans contributed 17 points, No. 8 pick Deming of the Nets scored 14 points and 5 rebounds, and No. 11 pick Coward of the Memphis Grizzlies had an all-round performance of 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.

However, there are some lottery players who perform poorly. Quinn, the No. 13 pick of the Pelicans, only scored 3 points and 5 rebounds, and Bryant, the No. 14 pick of the Spurs, did not score a point and only grabbed 2 rebounds. In addition, the Raptors' No. 9 pick Boyles, the Suns' No. 10 pick Manuachi and the Bulls' No. 12 pick Esenger were unable to play for various reasons.

It is worth mentioning that Chinese player Yang Hansen made his NBA regular season debut when the Portland Trail Blazers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves. He got 5 minutes and 16 seconds of playing time and contributed 2 points and 1 rebound. Although the data is small, it is undoubtedly an important milestone for the 20-year-old Chinese star.

The draft year is well-deserved, and the competition for the best rookie is fierce

Judging from the performance on the first day, the overall quality of the draft players in 2025 is indeed a level higher than that of 2024, and they are worthy of the title of the draft year. Whether it was Edgecomb's stunning performance or Harper's stable performance, people saw the huge potential of this rookie class.

This also means that the competition for this year's best rookie will be very fierce. Edgecombe was temporarily in the lead due to his outstanding performance in the first game, but players such as Flagg and Harper also had the ability to catch up from behind. As the season progresses, we have reason to believe that these young players will bring us more exciting games.

For the NBA, the outstanding performance of these rookies is undoubtedly good news. Their arrival not only injects new vitality into each team, but also lays a solid foundation for the future development of the league. Let's wait and see how these young players will perform in the next games.

Conclusion: The Rookies Rise, and the NBA Ushers in a New Era

The debut day of the 2025 draft lottery players is undoubtedly an unforgettable day. From Edgecomb's record 34 points, to Flagg's struggles, to the varying performances of other rookies, every player is writing his own NBA story in his own way.

Although the debut is just the beginning of a long season, it undoubtedly provides us with a great opportunity to get to know these young players. Judging from today's performance, the 2025 draft players do have the potential to become future stars in the league.

With the rise of these rookies, the NBA league is also ushering in a new era. Their arrival will not only change the destiny of each team, but also bring new energy and passion to the entire league. Let us look forward to the fact that in the next games, these young players can continue to show their talents and strength and provide more exciting games to the fans.