Edgecombe and Philon provide bright spots as shorthanded 76ers drop to Celtics’ regulars in Boston

The Boston Celtics played with their regular-season rotation, and the Philadelphia 76ers showed why that distinction matters, even in the preseason. According to Yahoo Sports’ account of Saturday’s game, it turned into a lopsided affair, but the 76ers still found two clear sparks in the backcourt.

For Philadelphia, second-year guard Edgecombe and rookie guard Philon were singled out as the most encouraging performances on a night when the overall rhythm did not favor the Sixers. Their impact was framed less as a wholesale solution to the game’s uneven feel, and more as evidence that younger players can carry the floor when older units are not always available.

The context for that unevenness was important. The story described the Sixers as shorthanded, suggesting they were without enough of their usual personnel to match Boston’s top contributors. In preseason, that gap can magnify quickly, because opponents can pressure second units more aggressively and settle into set plays against less familiar combinations.

Boston’s star storyline came through as well, even if it was tempered by the timing of the matchup. Jaylen Brown, returning to Boston for the first time since leaving the Celtics, was highlighted in the report, though the author noted that fans will have to wait until the regular season to see Brown face his former team in a meaningful, standings-based setting.

That “wait until regular season” detail matters for how to interpret Saturday’s game. Preseason matchups are often treated as building blocks, but matchups involving players returning to a former home carry extra attention. For Brown, this was an early emotional barometer, not a competitive one tied to seeding or playoff positioning.

Still, the takeaway for Philadelphia is not only what happened on the scoreboard. When a team is missing pieces and rotations get forced, the ability for developing guards to make plays, maintain composure, and generate offense becomes the clearest report of what can translate later. Edgecombe and Philon receiving that kind of emphasis suggests the Sixers are looking for continuity in how they develop talent at the guard spots.

What to watch next is how these performances fit into the larger preseason evaluation process for Philadelphia. If the two guards continue to create advantages with the game slowing down for them, it can influence how the coaching staff uses bench lineups as the schedule moves closer to the regular season. For Boston, the focus will be on keeping the rotation tight and ensuring that the preseason “regulars versus shorthanded” contrast does not mask any issues that need to be corrected before the opener.