The Athletic NBA Daily
Episode: Sixers Guard Duo + Wolves without Anthony Edwards
Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Esfandiar "Es" Baraheni, guest John Krasinski
Episode Overview
This episode dives into two major early trends in the NBA season:
- The dominant guard rotation fueling the Philadelphia 76ers’ surprising undefeated start
- The Minnesota Timberwolves’ prospects and adjustments following the injury to star Anthony Edwards
The hosts analyze standout rookie performances, evolving team identities, and tactical pivots for squads facing adversity. Plus, an on-site report from John Krasinski details Minnesota’s outlook in the West sans Edwards.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. How the Sixers’ Guards Are Shaping the Early Season
(Starts ~02:13)
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Philadelphia’s Shocking Undefeated Start: Despite missing Paul George and Joel Embiid, the Sixers move to 3-0 after beating the Magic.
“Somehow the Philadelphia 76ers are now 3-0, even though Orlando came to town ... It's just not a team you think should give the Magic a hard time. And yet, man, they struggled to score.”
— Dave DeFore, [02:13] -
Emergence of the Sixers' Young Guard Core:
- Tyrese Maxey (43 pts, 8 ast) set the tone with poise and evolving control.
- VJ Edgecombe stands out as a star in the making, already near the top of historic rookie scoring lists.
- Quentin Grimes and soon Jared McCain round out the rotation, giving Philly myriad options.
“I love how they are providing space for all of them to explore different areas of their game, but also just maximizing them like crazy offensively.”
— Es Baraheni, [02:54] -
Stat Watch: Edgecombe tallies 75 points in his first three games — only surpassed by Jerry Stackhouse since 1980.
"Jerry Stackhouse has 76, Vijay Edgecombe has 75, Dominique Wilkins has 75, Michael Jordan has 74..."
— Es Baraheni, [04:16]
"He can score. I mean, 25-5-5 so far as a rookie in his first three games. This is not—that's not normal."
— Dave DeFore, [04:48] -
Rookie Usage Philosophy:
The Sixers are simplifying Edgecombe’s role, letting him “attack a closeout, work off ball, make stationary shots ... use his athleticism," instead of forcing heavy on-ball responsibilities (as the Mavericks are with Cooper Flagg)."They're not throwing him out there, you know, kind of the fire to the wind ... Like they're doing in Dallas with Cooper Flagg."
— Es Baraheni, [05:26]
Notable Quote
"Tyrese Maxey goes off for 43 points and eight assists against this Magic defense ... the poise that he plays with now, the control that he uses, it’s like he can go from first gear to third gear really quickly and figure out how he can slow down as well."
— Es Baraheni, [03:38]
2. Rookie Watch: Flagg, Edgecombe, Dylan Harper & More
(06:15–14:28)
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Cooper Flagg’s Rough Night:
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The Mavericks rookie struggled (1-9 FG), best understood as a matter of workload and defensive attention.
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Thunder defenders, especially Lu Dort, gave him a classic “Welcome to the NBA” experience.
“When Lou Dort is in your grill, it's just ... Welcome to the NBA, buddy.”
— Dave DeFore, [07:14]
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Development Approaches:
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Big difference in letting rookies like Edgecombe thrive in easier roles vs. “throwing Flagg to the fire” as primary ballhandler.
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The panel questions if the Mavs could be helping Flagg long-term by allowing a more contextualized role.
"Developmentally, do you prefer throwing Cooper to the fire and forcing him to be the ball handler immediately, or do you want him to thrive in a context? This is sort of the VJ Edgecombe question..."
— Es Baraheni, [07:45]
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Thunder Depth:
- Chet Holmgren (18 pts, 4 blk) shined; AJ Mitchell is dubbed a Sixth Man of the Year favorite.
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Other Rookies to Watch:
- Dylan Harper (Spurs): Off the bench, looks destined for a star slot and may force San Antonio's hand in endgame lineups.
- Colin Murray-Boyles (Raptors): Had a "career night" in just his second game.
3. Team Identity: Bulls, Spurs, Raptors
(09:00–15:26)
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Bulls:
- Despite being a “bad team,” they win by maximizing their chaos and offensive pace (8 players in double figures vs. ATL).
“Bad teams find ways to win when they have an identity.”
— Es Baraheni, [09:37] -
Spurs:
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Now 4-0; notable because despite their historic pedigree, they've never started 5-0.
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Victor Wembanyama: 24 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast, but fewer blocks as teams increasingly avoid challenging him at the rim.
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Spurs’ size and positional versatility (Harper, Castle, Champagne, Johnson) are keys to their defensive success.
"Teams don't want to shoot around him anymore ... Wemby may watch his block totals drop."
— Dave DeFore, [11:42] -
Wembanyama Showmanship: Each game reveals new facets (ball handling, off-ball movement, even a 360 layup and an alley-oop off a 360 cut).
"Every game he shows something new ... Bringing the ball up, ball pressure. His ball handling has improved tremendously ... also he had a 360 layup driving in traffic."
— Dave DeFore, [14:38]
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4. Minnesota Timberwolves: Life Without Anthony Edwards
(18:39–30:07)
Injury Update & Short-Term Outlook
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Anthony Edwards' hamstring injury expected to sideline him for about two weeks; described as "minor" but the team will be conservative to avoid aggravation.
"He will be reevaluated in a week and then ... expects about two weeks for him to come back. One thing they do not want to happen is for him to come back too early ... he's just too important.”
— John Krasinski, [25:40]
On-Court Adjustments
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First game without Edwards: Wolves lose to the Nuggets (first time since 2023 regular season); stayed competitive for three quarters before Denver pulled away.
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Offensive positives:
- Ball movement and Jaden McDaniels off the dribble.
- Julius Randle operating as a hub (akin to his New York role).
- Nas Reid providing scoring punch after a slow start.
“When you look at the versatility that they showed with the ball movement ... that was a nice little wrinkle.”
— John Krasinski, [20:08] -
Defensive Worries:
- Wolves have yet to recapture the defensive bite that defined last season—Edwards' absence at the point-of-attack versus Jamal Murray was sorely felt.
"This Wolves team has not really shown any defensive identity yet this season. ... they're really missing some teeth there that they gotta somehow find, you know, over these next couple of weeks."
— John Krasinski, [20:52] -
Defending Without Rudy Gobert:
- Defensive rating plummets when Gobert sits; suggests experimenting with 18-year-old rookie Jon Berenjay as a rim protector, rather than relying on Randle/Reid frontcourt for defense.
“That might just have to be an adjustment that has to be made here ... I don't know that all of a sudden Julius Randle and Naz Reid are just gonna find some sort of defensive reservoir that was as yet undiscovered.”
— John Krasinski, [24:26]
Nuggets Spotlight
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Jamal Murray explodes for 43 points, particularly effective in the third quarter, highlighting his critical importance to Denver’s ceiling.
"Jamal Murray ... absolutely carved the Wolves up today. Jaden McDaniels, one of the really good defenders in this league, couldn't do anything with him."
— John Krasinski, [22:17]
Short-Term Development
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Upcoming schedule presents a “good time” for the Wolves to experiment with giving minutes to rookies (Rob Dillingham, Terence Shannon, Jalen Clark).
"This is like a perfect time for an injury like this to happen ... maybe try some of those younger players, right?"
— Es Baraheni, [26:32] -
Past stretches when the Wolves relied on youth due to injuries ultimately helped their rotation flexibility.
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Lineup Tweaks: Mike Conley started in Ant’s place for stability and Gobert chemistry; expect rotation flexibility.
"Chris Finch loves Mike Conley, believes in Mike Conley, trusts him ... They have had a hard time ... trying to get Rudy Gobert involved in the offense, and Mike Conley is somebody who can do ... I do think Finch could be flexible in that spot over these next two weeks."
— John Krasinski, [28:25]
Notable Quotes
On VJ Edgecombe:
“Vijay Edgecombe is very clearly going to be a star level player, all star, potentially superstar, eventually.”
— Es Baraheni, [04:04]
On Rookie Roles:
“They’re not making him create too much ... giving him certain moments and doses ... They’re not throwing him out there, you know, kind of the fire to the wind, you know what I mean? Like they’re doing in Dallas with Cooper Flagg.”
— Es Baraheni, [05:26]
On The Bulls’ Identity:
“Bad teams find ways to win when they have an identity. And I think that’s a big difference between the Bulls and the Raptors ... The Bulls, meanwhile, are like, cool, we’re going to run. We don’t care about defense. We’re playing hard.”
— Es Baraheni, [09:37]
On Wembanyama’s Defensive Impact:
“Teams don’t want to shoot around him anymore ... Wemby may watch his block totals drop ... We have to find a defensive metric for being terrified of taking shots at the basket.”
— Dave DeFore & Es Baraheni, [11:42–11:55]
On Wolves’ Defensive Options:
“When Rudy is on the floor ... they are a top two, three defense ... but then when he comes off ... that just has not worked at all defensively. ... I really do wonder when Chris Finch will look at playing the 18 year old rookie Jon Berenjay.”
— John Krasinski, [23:49]
Key Timestamps
- 02:13 – Sixers’ surprising win over Magic, new guard rotation analysis
- 03:38 – Maxey and Edgecombe’s performance, historic rookie stat
- 05:26 – The contrast of rookie roles: Edgecombe vs. Flagg
- 07:14 – Cooper Flagg’s rough night vs Thunder
- 09:37 – Bulls’ identity and offensive explosion vs Hawks
- 11:42 – Spurs undefeated, Wembanyama’s deterrence effect
- 14:38 – Wemby’s evolving skillset (ball-handling, 360 move)
- 18:39 – Timberwolves’ adjustments after Edwards injury; Nuggets-Wolves game recap
- 20:08 – Wolves offense without Edwards, defense struggles
- 22:17 – Jamal Murray’s importance to Nuggets’ ceiling
- 24:26 – Wolves’ rim-protection dilemma sans Gobert
- 25:40 – Edwards injury update and timetable
- 26:32 – Wolves' chance to develop rookies during Edwards’ absence
- 28:25 – Mike Conley’s role, lineup flexibility
Summary
This episode expertly weaves together analysis of precocious NBA rookies, evolving team identities, and the tactical chess moves coaches must make on the fly amid the season’s earliest shifts.
- Philly’s new guard core and rookies are electrifying and effective—even with stars sidelined.
- The Spurs are big, versatile, and led by a Wembanyama who is literally warping shot selection.
- The Bulls prove chaos can be an identity, while the Wolves face their first real test of depth and adaptability without their star.
- Denver lives and dies by Jamal Murray’s rhythm, as highlighted in their win against Minnesota.
Whether you want storylines for water cooler talk or need the strategic trends behind the standings, this episode is a must-listen for keeping pace with the quickly-shifting NBA landscape.