76ers Blown Out By Wizards In Preseason Opener

Semi-real Philadelphia 76ers basketball was back last night in the form of their first preseason game against the Wizards. Overall, it was an ugly debut for the Sixers on both ends of the floor. Their sloppy offense and poor defense were the main factors that lead to their 129-95 loss to the Wiz.

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The Sixers starters began the game well on both ends of the court. They were running when they had the opportunity to, and in the half court they were actually running an offense through Jahlil Okafor. Once the 2nd unit came in the Wizards began to pull away, as the Sixers had nothing going on offensively and were getting shredded on defense. The Wizards extended their lead to as much as 18, but when the Sixers starters fought back to make it a two-point deficit at halftime. Washington came out of the half strong and capitalized on the Sixers sloppy play to put the game away f0r good.

This was just preseason game number one of seven, which will be followed by 82 regular season games, so everything at this point should be taken with a pound of salt. But the Sixers starting unit, most notably Jah and Nerlens Noel, showed the some promise. On the other hand, the Sixers defense was a major disappointment while allowing 29 fast break points and 15 three-pointers. When Okafor was off the court the Sixers offense was sloppy and it showed in their 23 team turnovers. So yes, the Sixers still have a lot to work on in preparation for the preseason.

Players of the Game

Jahlil Okafor: 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 6/12 FG

It was hard to walk away from this game and not be impressed with what Okafor did in his first professional action. The Sixers went to him early and often; in his first five minutes of action Okafor got a touch on every half-court possession but one (by my unofficial count). Jah started things off with a rising hook shot from the painted area. He then went on to make three consecutive mid-range jumpers; 2 pull-ups and a fade-away along the baseline. Okafor then ran the floor and was rewarded on one fast break after he cut to the rim and recieved a Robert Covington pass on his way to an easy lay-up. His final bucket came on yet another pull-up jumper. So four of Okafor’s six made field goals came on mid-range jumpers, who saw that one coming?

If there’s one complaint on Jah’s offensive performance it’s that he needs to work on getting deeper catches in the post. His first post catch was just inside the three-point arc and he is not going back down NBA centers 23 feet from the basket. This was something Okafor struggled with in summer league and it is definitely something to keep an eye on as the season goes on.

On the defensive end Okafor was a lot better than I thought he would be. He moved his feet well on pick and rolls and did not get lost on rotations. He did get beat a few times on rotations, which led to his four fouls in 17 minutes of action, but he was also able to block two shots. Okafor is a work in progress on defense, but this was a solid start for him.

Nerlens Noel: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 4/8 FG, 5/6 FT

They said that Nerlens and Jahlil could not co-exist. Even I said that, kind of, but the two proved the doubters wrong for now with a smooth opening performance. Here’s the thing with Nerlens and Okafor playing together: if Okafor is indeed going to open the floor up and command double teams, specifically from the other big coming to help from the weak side, then Noel is going to have a lot of opportunities to receive/operate with the ball in space.

During this game Noel received the ball in space a couple of times and he was aggressive in taking the ball to the rim, which showed in his six free throw attempts. In the second half Nerlens also had a really nice post-up possession, where he backed down Kris Humphries deep into the paint and connected on a nice hook shot. Nerlens missed both jump shots he attempted (again unofficial stat), but if he can continue to play well with the ball in space it will go a long way in his transition to the four position.

The defensive end is where Nerlens is going to have to make some adjustments as well. Nerlens was expectedly great in his help defense by altering a number of shots at the rim as a help defender. But since Nerlens is now defending fours for most of the game, helping too much can lead to open threes for fours that can shoot from deep.  But just like Okafor, a solid first showing for Nerlens Noel.

Isaiah Canaan: 13 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 5/10 FG, 3/5 3P

Scottie Wilbekin: 5 points, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 2/7 FG, 1/6 3p

While neither of these players had stellar performances, I felt like it was important to provide an update on the Sixers point guard competition. Canaan had a really strong start to the game as he was going after defensive rebounds and pushing the ball on the break. But Canaan had an ugly second quarter that included getting the ball stolen from him by Nene at the top of the three-point arc. It is easy to look at Canaan’s line and say that he had a good game, but he did not pass the eye test for me in terms of running the offense and creating for others. I am aware he had six assists, but two of them were off of Okafor’s buckets from the post.

I was excited to see Wilbekin play and left extremely disappointed. His first action came in the first quarter with the second unit and, when he was subbed out next, he left the court with really nothing to show for. He may have been dragged down by the players that were on the court with him, but Wilbekin came on again in the third with to play with a couple of starters and not much changed. Late in the game he connected on a nice floater and knocked down one of his six attempted threes. Overall a disappointing performance for Wilbekin who loses some ground on Canaan in the point guard competition.

Finally, after the game Brett Brown told reporters that out of all the injured point guards Pierre Jackson and Tony Wroten will be out the longest. If that is indeed the case then that would mean Jackson is in serious danger of missing the entire preseason, which would probably lead to the Sixers cutting him (unless they are super high on him). This would almost guarantee that Isaiah Canaan will the starter on opening night as well as give Scottie Wilbekin a fighting chance to make the team until Marshall/Wroten return. The Sixers point guard position: the craziest, most uncertain position in all of sports.

Tweet of the Game

Play of the Game

Next Game

The Sixers will play their second preseason game on their home court this Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Next: Okafor Noel Pairing? Sixers Fans May Have To Wait

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