In the Philadelphia 76ers season opener against the Boston Celtics, there are three players that fans should keep an eye on.
With a new season, begins a new pregame article in which The Sixer Sense will be covering three players to watching in the respective matchup. It could end up being three players on Philadelphia 76ers, three players on their opponents roster, or a mix of players on both teams. The Sixers start their season home against the Boston Celtics which provides plenty of interesting players and drama.
Kemba Walker
After spending all of his entire career with the Charlotte Hornets thus far, Kemba Walker joined the Boston Celtics this past summer. He’s taking over the role once manned by Isaiah Thomas and more recently Kyrie Irving. Walker was already an All-NBA caliber point guard and he should only improve under Celtics head coach Brad Stevens’ system.
Walker won’t have an easy matchup in this first game as he will most likely be guarded by Josh Richardson for most of the contest. Walker is only 6-feet tall and Richardson is 6-foot-6, so size wise the Sixers have the advantage in this matchup. Walker will have to work hard on both ends of the court, but he could be one of the difference makers in this game.
Gordon Hayward
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Two years ago, Gordon Hayward suffered a horric ankle injury. He returned to the court last season, but he was a shell of his former self. He averaged 11.5 points, which was the one of the lower averages of his career. Now he’s had a full offseason to recover and it will be interest to see if he can return to his former All-Star self.
Like Walker, matchups for Hayward won’t be easy in this game. Regardless of if he guards Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris or Al Horford, Hayward won’t have an easy time on defense. All three 76ers players have a size advantage against him as he only stands at 6-foot-7 and they all stand at either 6-foot-9 or 6-foot-10. All three would have the advantage on him in the post and depending on where his ankle is, possibly on the perimeter.
Al Horford
In this season opener for Philly, Al Horford faces his former team that he just spent the last three season with. During his tenure there, he was named to an All-Star game and was a part of a team that was very close to beating a LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
Horford could have a big night, not only because he would want to show his old team up, but also matchups will favor him. When he plays at power forward, most likely either Jayson Tatum or Hayward will be guarding him the majority of the time. In that case he has a clear size advantage and will most likely punish either wing in the post.
Whenever he slides to the center spot, he should have an advantage there as well. Enes Kanter isn’t known for his defense, Robert Williams is still a raw big man, and Daniel Theis isn’t big enough to guard Horford consistently well. Vincent Poirier and Tacko Fall may be able to give Horford problems, but they are rookies and it’s unknown how well they will play against NBA competition.
This season begins for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics with the first matchup against each other. There are so many fun players to watch during this game and fans for both teams should be excited.