Philadelphia 76ers deliver offense, defense still under construction

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers yells to his team as Joel Embiid
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers yells to his team as Joel Embiid /
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The Philadelphia 76ers lost to Washington Wizards in a close one. But while the offense is better than the brochure, the defense is still a work in progress

The buzz today is about the Philadelphia 76ers and how they delivered on the basketball court in the season opener, despite the loss to the Washington Wizards. Yes, the final score was a full loss, as the team dropped the opener 120-115.

But if you had the first game as a win, you were…. overly optimistic.

Today, hot handed Robert Covington is fifth in the NBA in scoring.  In fact, the Philadelphia 76ers had six players with double digit scoring. Last season’s opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder was a loss as well.  But in that game, the 76ers managed just 97 points.

Great offense

I think its very safe to conclude, even after just one game, that the team offense is on track.  In fact, if you toss steals per game and fouls per game, the Philadelphia 76ers are better than last year’s team across the board.

I was disappointed not to see center Jahlil Okafor appear last night. Last season, he feasted on the Wizards, averaging 18.6 points and 5.3  rebounds on 25.6 minutes per game. But scoring was not an issue last night.

Robert Covington scored 29 points and 7 rebounds on 29 minutes. Joel Embiid scored 18 points and 13 rebounds on 27 minutes. Ben Simmons scored 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists on 35 minutes. Jerryd Bayless scored 13 points on 28 minutes.  J.J. Redick scored 12 points on 32 minutes.  Even Markelle Fultz scored 10 points off the bench in just 18 minutes. It all combined to place the Philadelphia 76ers offense at eighth in the NBA to start the season.