GRADES: Sixers lose sloppy first preseason game to Toronto

The Sixers‘ first preseason game featured several notable absences, with Ben Simmons sitting at home, Joel Embiid on the bench due to rest, and Tobias Harris experiencing right knee soreness. With the core trio absent, it was up to Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and the bench mob to lead the way.

A back-and-forth first quarter featured the most, let’s say, “notable” stretch of basketball. It was a quarter of runs, with Toronto going on an 8-0 run, followed by a 13-0 Sixers run, then followed by a 12-1 Raptors run. By the end of the first frame, it was 28-25 Toronto.

The second quarter was all Raptors, with Philadelphia looking dead in the water sans Andre Drummond. After tearing through the Raptors’ undersized frontcourt early on, Drummond gave way to small-ball groups and Paul Reed. While the latter played his heart out all night, it quickly became clear the Sixers could not sustain the defense without Drummond in the middle.

A bright spot in the second quarter, however, was Seth Curry, who carried over some of his shot-making confidence from the playoffs. He ended the game with 14 points on 2-for-3 shooting from deep in 17 minutes.

The second half saw Seth Curry and Danny Green retreat to the bench, giving way to Philadelphia’s bench unit entirely. It was the Isaiah Joe show from that point forward, with the second-year wing dropping 16 points (second on the team) and helping keep Philadelphia semi-respectable in an ultimately pointless blowout loss.

The Raptors had the spunk and energy advantage all night, no doubt fueled by the simple fact that Toronto basketball fans haven’t seen their team in-person for a year. With Toronto’s raucous crowd and no star power available, the Sixers never really stood a chance in this one. Scottie Barnes and Dalano Banton — two of the Raptors’ 2021 draft picks — were big standouts.

Grades from the Sixers’ preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors

• Andre Drummond: A

24 mins | 19 pts | 14 reb | 3 ast | 0 stl | 4 blk | 5 TO | 6-9 FG | 0-0 3PT| 7-8 FT | 1 PF | -4 |

Easily the biggest positive of Monday night’s loss was Andre Drummond’s outright dominance. He was the best player on the floor all night, bullying Toronto players in the paint en route to eight free-throw attempts (of which he made seven!!!).

We saw a lot of Embiid-like stuff from Drummond offensively, from nifty post-ups to DHOs on the perimeter and initiating the offense on the elbow. It’s clear Doc Rivers wants them to fill similar roles for the sake of offensive continuity, especially with the Sixers’ MVP candidate on the sidelines.

Drummond tied the defense together in his 24 minutes and played hard, which hasn’t always been the case in his career. I would say such an energetic preseason debut is a positive sign for those wondering if Drummond will bring his A-game in Philadelphia.

• Seth Curry: B

17 mins | 14 pts | 1 reb | 2 ast | 4 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 6-11 FG | 2-3 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | +2 |

After a lackluster first quarter, Seth Curry burst into flames in the second quarter. He was the Sixers’ second-best player in the Hawks series, and he looks ready to continue that offensive aggressiveness this season. Philadelphia will need it without Ben Simmons’ playmaking in the backcourt.

• Shake Milton: D+

19 mins | 3 pts | 1 reb | 5 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 1-6 FG | 1-3 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | -15 |

Doc Rivers has been singing Shake Milton’s praises in training camp, but it didn’t translate to the floor in this game. With the second unit at his command, many of Milton’s past flaws resurfaced. He struggled to generate separation off the dribble and couldn’t finish at the rim. He did, however, drop a few nice dimes in a five-assist outing, which the Sixers will need more of if Shake is going to be a primary ball-handler.

• Tyrese Maxey: C-

21 mins | 10 pts | 1 reb | 3 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 4 TO | 5-11 FG | 0-2 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | -15 |

Speaking of Tyrese Maxey… this wasn’t his best game. He struggled mightily against Toronto’s real players in the first and second quarter, before rebounding with a more palatable second half. In the end, his stat line was respectable, but a 3:4 assist-to-turnover ratio is not ideal. The starting point guard gig is Maxey’s to lose, and he’s not getting much competition from Shake, but he will need to get better “running the show,” so to speak.

• Isaiah Joe: A

26 mins | 18 pts | 3 reb | 1 ast | 3 stl | 1 blk | 0 TO | 5-9 FG | 4-8 3PT| 4-4 FT | 0 PF | -2 |

This was a strong start to the Isaiah Joe Playing Time Campaign, which has officially broken ground on new campaign headquarters in the Delaware Valley. Joe is probably the best shooter not named Seth Curry on the roster, and he’s a genuinely solid wing defender. Like, he knows his spots, competes hard, and unlike most skinny young guards, he doesn’t foul a lot.

Joe’s performance in limited minutes last season, on top of his performance in Summer League, has given him plenty of momentum toward regular rotation minutes. Shake Milton is not very good, while Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, and Georges Niang all have considerable flaws. At some point, Rivers will have to at least look at Joe. And that’s not just a reaction to one preseason game.

The Sixers’ next preseason game is Thursday, Oct. 7 at home against Toronto at 7 PM E.T.