Victor Wembanyama overshadows Cooper Flagg's NBA debut; Pete Prisco's Week 8 NFL picks

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Good morning and happy Thursday, sports fans! We are in that rare time of year when all four major sports have meaningful games happening at the same time. Last night, we got a full slate of NBA action with Cooper Flagg making his debut with the Mavericks, and tonight Week 8 of the NFL kicks off with the Vikings visiting the Chargers. Plus, the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers gets rolling tomorrow and Alex Ovechkin is just two goals from being the charter member of the NHL's 900-goal club. Cherish the next week while we're still in a sports fan's paradise.

Let's get right down to business.

🏀 Five things to know Thursday

1. 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe broke records held by LeBron James and Allen Iverson. After lighting up the Celtics for 34 points last night, Edgecombe probably thinks this NBA stuff is pretty easy. Not only did Edgecombe break James' record for first-quarter points in an NBA debut, but the 20-year-old Baylor product also broke Iverson's franchise record for points in a debut. What will Edgecombe do for an encore in game No. 2?
2. Victor Wembanyama dropped 40 points in the Spurs' season-opening win over the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg made his NBA debut in Dallas last night, but it was another former No. 1 pick who stole the show. Wembanyama went nuclear for 40 points and 15 rebounds (and no turnovers) as San Antonio rolled Dallas, 125-92. Wembanyama wasted no time asserting himself as one of the fastest rising superstars in the NBA.
3. The Giants have hired Tennessee coach Tony Vitello as their next manager. President of baseball operations Buster Posey went outside the box on this hire, making Vitello the first college coach ever to make the jump straight to an MLB managerial gig. After leading the Volunteers to their first baseball national championship in 2024, Vitello will pursue a World Series in San Francisco.
4. Tua Tagovailoa is blaming his height (or lack thereof) for not targeting Jaylen Waddle more. A weird season in Miami just keeps getting weirder. When asked why Waddle received just four targets in Sunday's loss to the Browns, the 6-foot-1 Tagovailoa gave an interesting response. He blamed it on … wait for it … his inability to see over the offensive line. If the Dolphins weren't already the butt of online jokes, they are now.
5. Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) will miss Saturday's game against Houston. The Sun Devils will be without Tyson, the Big 12 leader in receptions (57), receiving yards (628) and receiving touchdowns (8) against the Cougars this weekend. That's a big loss for an Arizona State team riding high after taking down previously undefeated Texas Tech last week.

🤘 Do not miss this: Can Texas' offensive woes be fixed?

Texas came into the season as the No. 1 team in the country. Led by Arch Manning, a projected future first-round pick, the Longhorns looked like the team to beat. Instead, the offense has imploded, Manning has fallen well short of the hype and Steve Sarkisian faces tough questions.

After escaping with a 16-13 overtime win at Kentucky last week, Texas has some soul-searching to do. The Horns rank 11th in the SEC in yards per game (368.1) and points per game (26.7). Manning is 13th in the league with 1,449 passing yards.

So, what can be done? That's the question Chris Hummer explored in a deep dive on the Texas offense. One thing that can't be fixed this year is a leaky offensive line, which has been at the root of the team's offensive failures.

• Hummer: "Texas' offensive line is a disaster. It didn't help the Longhorns were down two starters against Kentucky, but Texas ranks 131st (out of 136 teams) with a 42.4% pressure rate allowed on drop backs. The Longhorns don't fare much better with the run, ranking No. 83 nationally in yards per carry."

While Manning has taken his lumps this season, Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has started to take flight. That's why he jumped 26 spots in our latest CFB QB Power Rankings.

🏀 Otherworldly Victor Wembanyama overshadows Cooper Flagg's NBA debut

It was a mixed bag for Cooper Flagg, and the negatives were only exacerbated by the fact that he was playing across from Victor Wembanyama, who last night in Dallas looked like he was running against dads during open gym at the YMCA. Flagg didn't score until the third quarter, and finished the night with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a brutal minus-29 point differential.

Still, as Jasmyn Wimbish writes, one bad night should not be cause for concern in Dallas. The only thing that needs to be reconsidered is Jason Kidd's decision to experiment with Flagg at point guard, which was an unnatural fit for the 6-foot-9 rookie.

• Wimbish: "Yes, Kidd had success in the past with turning Giannis Antetokounmpo into a point-forward, but Flagg isn't the physical specimen who can just impose his strength on guys and charge towards the rim. If Kidd just wanted to see if Flagg would sink or swim then that's a fine test to give your rookie, but it doesn't seem like a long-term viable option with the way this team is constructed."

While Flagg didn't have the best debut in league history, he certainly wasn't the only player who had a long night. Joel Embiid looked like a shell of himself in a limited role against the Celtics.

For even more coverage on an exciting start to the 2025-26 NBA season, Sam Quinn has your fix with his biggest overreactions from the first two days.

🏈 Pete Prisco's Week 8 NFL picks

The NFL kicks off Week 8 later today with a key Thursday night clash between the Vikings and Chargers. If you want picks and predictions for every game from today through Monday (and I know you do), our own Pete Prisco has you covered.

Let's just be honest with one another here: This week's slate may result in a bloodbath. Eight games currently have a spread of at least eight points, so there may be some blowouts coming.

That said, the crown jewel of the week comes on Sunday night when Aaron Rodgers returns to Green Bay with the Steelers. That will be must-see TV for the off-field narrative and because it's a battle of two 4-2 teams looking to pick up a key win. That spread is just three points, but Prisco sees the Packers winning a little more comfortably than that, 31-24.

• Prisco: "The Packers are playing consecutive road games, while the Steelers are home with 10 days rest. That usually matters. But the Steelers defense was awful in the loss to the Bengals. While the Packers haven't lit it up on offense this year, this will be the chance for Jordan Love to get it going. I think he does. The Packers will beat their former quarterback in Aaron Rodgers."

Many, including myself, would point to Packers vs. Steelers as a revenge game for Rodgers. One person who does not see it that way is Rodgers himself.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• Roger Goodell has defended Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer amid pushback from critics.
• Breaking down the biggest NFL trade candidates by how impactful they could be.
• The stakes haven't ever been higher for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, but the team keeps making the same mistakes.
• The Commanders are being very cautious with Jayden Daniels ... as they should be.
• Having trouble keeping up with the Russell Wilson vs. Sean Payton beef? Here's our handy explainer.
• Stay up to date on the latest NFL injury news with our Week 8 tracker.
• The NFL is looking to revise the onside kick rule yet again. Might I suggest just going back to the old system?
• Mark Sanchez is still recovering from a stab wound, and a trial date for a felony battery charge has been set.
• Was Florida State's vote of confidence reassuring for Mike Norvell? That's not exactly how he saw it.
• Here are some picks and predictions for the biggest games of college football's Week 9 slate.
• Steve Spurrier Jr. will take a more hands-on role with Florida QB DJ Lagway.
• Upon further review: Here's our inside look at the ACC Game Day Operations Center.
• Here's why Mohamed Dabone is basketball's most intriguing teenager.
• Purdue PG Braden Smith gets the nod as our Preseason Player of the Year.
• Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas have the Avalanche flying up the NHL Power Rankings.
• The PGA Tour has canceled The Sentry due to a drought in Hawaii.
• Heading into its second season, TGL has announced gameplay enhancements.

📺 What we're watching Thursday

🏒 Blackhawks at Lightning, 6:45 p.m. on Hulu
🏀 Thunder at Pacers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 South Alabama at Georgia State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Vikings at Chargers, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
🏒 Kings at Stars, 9 p.m. on Hulu
🏀 Nuggets at Warriors, 10 p.m. on ESPN