Sixers: 5 takeaways from preseason opener vs. Raptors

5 takeaways from Sixers’ preseason opener: Seth Curry’s playoffs might not have been a fluke

Against the Atlanta Hawks in last year’s playoffs, Seth Curry took a major step forward as a scorer. With Danny Green injured and Ben Simmons’s offense missing in action, Curry shouldered the scoring load and became the team’s de facto second option down the stretch, averaging 25 points per game in the final three contests of the series while shooting 63 percent from the field and 62 percent from beyond the arc.

Obviously, keeping up those percentages is a little bit unrealistic — as is expecting a career role player to suddenly begin averaging 25 points per game. But if the first preseason game of the year is any indication, some of Curry’s confidence could certainly carry over to the regular season.

Against a series of lanky Raptors defenders, Curry utilized his crafty set of moves to get off quite a few open looks, knocking most of them down. He hit a few stepback triples, including one off his go-to behind-the-back, and served as the team’s primary guard scorer. Curry finished with 14 points on 6-11 shooting, and was the only starter with a positive plus-minus.

Once the regular season begins, the Sixers are going to be searching for scorers, especially on nights where the team rests Embiid. If Curry’s scorching hot playoffs can translate into a more confident second season after he looked timid at times last year, the team should be able to fill part of that bucket-getting void.