After falling to 0-2 on the young NBA season, here are five things to keep an eye on with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers dropped Friday night’s game against the Boston Celtics in disappointing fashion, with sloppy play and a slew of bad mistakes killing any chance at momentum down the stretch. It was an ugly game in general, which left a lot to be desired in what was a highly-anticipated home opener.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t positives. J.J. Redick and Jerryd Bayless torched the Celts from deep while Ben Simmons put together his second double-double in as many games. Even Markelle Fultz had a couple of promising moments sandwiched between blocked shots and subpar defense.
Brett Brown needs to work out some serious kinks, though, and that’s to be expected with such a young team. Joel Embiid was bad too, which shouldn’t happen too often. His conditioning is a clear issue, but it’s one that should resolve itself in time. If Embiid gets better and some of the youthful mistakes get cut out, this Sixers team is more than capable of making the playoffs.
It’s important to remember that we’re just two games in.
With that in mind, let’s dive into some of the more important takeaways from last night’s game, as well as what fans should be looking for in the coming days: