76人季前赛38分惨败凯尔特人：四大观察

Following their 120-97 win over the defending champions on Monday, Philadelphia 76ers fans were overflowing with excitement about the potential of their new team. But tonight’s defeat (144-106) against a familiar enemy (the Boston Celtics) marks two straight losses, and it may be time to start asking questions about what may or may not be working for the new-look Sixers.

With Jayson Tatum and Paul George leading the way, the Celtics broke out to an early first-quarter lead and never looked back, shooting a whopping 53% from the field. Payton Pritchard led all scorers with 25 points, four rebounds, and seven assists on 7-12 shooting from the field (5-8 from three). Tatum wasn’t far behind with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal on 9-19 shooting. In his unofficial Celtics debut, George dropped 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and five steals on 3-10 shooting from the field.

For the 76ers, V.J. Edgecombe was the main bright spot, with 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, and four steals on 6-11 shooting from the field, while Tyrese Maxey dropped just eight points (2-10), three rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Off the bench, Labaron Philon Jr. finished with 14 points, two rebounds, seven assists, and one steal on 5-13 shooting.

Ultimately, this preseason matchup won’t count in the record books, and it holds no bearing on the upcoming NBA standings. Even so, I can’t help but expect better from a 76ers team that’s built for immediate success. With LeBron James on the team, standards are through the roof, and the biggest takeaways from this game expose why the 76ers have not quite reached them.

1. Tyrese Maxey Is Still Shaking Off The Rust

Even after the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the 76ers are still Tyrese Maxey’s team, and they need him at his best if they want to make a respectable run. While he looked well enough on Thursday (14 points on 5-8 shooting), his jumper looked much shakier tonight. In 18 minutes of action, Maxey tallied eight points,  three rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block on 2-10 shooting (1-6 from three). He also had two turnovers and three personal fouls.

Maxey has been a consistent shooter throughout his career, but there’s a lot he must adjust to this season. With so many new teammates, the team’s identity and playstyle have changed, and Maxey is still catching up. The problem is that he was very much forcing the issue today, suggesting that he’s feeling some lingering frustration about his place in the offense. Hopefully, by opening night, Maxey will find his rhythm and play more like the young star we’ve come to know over the years.

2. Center Depth Is A Major Concern

Joel Embiid was out of action tonight, and that was no surprise. Given his history, it makes sense for the Sixers to be extra cautious with his health. In the process, it’s showing us just how thin the Sixers’ frontcourt really is. Beyond Embiid and their primary backup option, Adem Bona, the 76ers don’t really have any traditional big man options. Tonight, they were forced to play 6’7″ Jabari Walker at center, and the result was a massive rebounding differential in favor of the home team (63-34).

Overall, the 76ers might be in better shape if Ariel Hukporti didn’t suffer a season-ending injury, but his absence leaves them surprisingly vulnerable. Without any depth at center, they don’t have insurance for when/if Embiid goes down. Of course, during the season, the 76ers could always plug LeBron James at center, and head coach Nick Nurse has already teased with the idea. Still, it’s not an ideal situation, and this loss just made that flaw fundamentally clear.

3. Jabari Walker Is The Early Preseason Standout

Even in losses, there can be victories, and the 76ers have certainly found something with Jabari Walker. Going into the season, it was unclear what kind of role he would have on this team, but his versatility could come in handy to fill multiple positions in the frontcourt. Today, he played the center role acceptably well, going 6-11 from the field for 14 points, six rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes. While his stats aren’t anything crazy, he showed the kind of motor, tenacity, and constant activity that will surely earn him a bigger role.

Most encouraging of all is what he displayed on the perimeter. At 2-7, he didn’t shoot particularly well from three, but it’s a step up from his career average of 0.5 makes per game. If he’s added a three-pointer to his arsenal and is willing to stay this aggressive in games, it will give the 76ers yet another offensive weapon to stretch the floor around their stars. But whether this game was a fluke or a sign of things to come is still unclear.

4. Cracks Are Showing Defensively

The 76ers were missing many of their best defenders tonight, so it’s unfair to judge them too harshly. Still, we can tell a lot by some of the defensive habits we saw on the court. Most of the game was riddled with mistakes on that end, as 76ers players constantly gave up open threes and easy transition opportunities. It cost them, too, as the Celtics finished the game shooting 46% from three. They also had 35 assists, a sign of a team that was completely unbothered offensively.

This season, if the 76ers want to achieve their championship ambitions, they will need to put up more resistance, starting with their young backcourt. Both Maxey and Edgecombe were active today, and they were culpable in the lackluster defensive effort. At this point, we can only hope that their full rotation will play both ends of the floor, because more games like this will make it hard for them to keep up against the best teams.