Sixers: 5 takeaways from preseason opener vs. Raptors
By Ben Wieland
The Sixers finally got back to actual basketball, opening the NBA preseason with a fairly uninspiring blowout 123-107 loss to the Toronto Raptors. While the result wasn’t ideal, the team’s performance without Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris offered a glimpse into what to expect from the team going forward this season.
Here are five takeaways from the team’s preseason opener.
5 takeaways from Sixers’ preseason opener: Andre Drummond is going to be Andre Drummond, for better and for worse
After eight seasons in the NBA, the book has been written on Andre Drummond. His game, which can be statistically quite productive but visually extremely frustrating, hasn’t changed or developed much since he first entered the league with the Detroit Pistons. Any Sixers fans hoping that Drummond might look like a changed player stylistically should, after tonight’s game, temper those expectations.
First, let’s give some credit to the good in Drummond’s game. He is a truly prodigious rebounder, and looked the part against an undersized Toronto team, finishing the game with 14 boards in just 24 minutes. Drummond is also a physical offensive presence in the paint — he recorded two and-ones in just the first four minutes of play, and generally finished well around the rim, finishing with a team-high 19 points.
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The bad in Drummond’s style of play, though, also reared its ugly head. His dribble handoff game was incredibly sloppy, and the big man also threw a few ill-advised passes that led to costly live-ball turnovers. Drummond also dribbled the ball far more frequently than a big with his handles should; ultimately, his carelessness led to 5 turnovers, a team high.
Drummond has always been a tantalizing player to watch, because if he adopted the role of screening, rim-rolling big man and didn’t try to play above his skill level offensively, the former All-Star could be an extremely useful role player. However, Drummond has always wanted to be more than that, and it doesn’t seem like the big man’s overconfidence has changed one bit for his latest stint here in Philadelphia.