The Sixers open the preseason on Monday, Oct. 3 in Brooklyn. It’s hard to imagine a more anticipated preseason matchup: Ben Simmons making his NBA return against his former team and James Harden returning to Brooklyn. Not to mention the slew of offseason controversies swirling around other key members of the Nets. People will tune in.
Both Philadelphia and Brooklyn are expected to compete for the Eastern Conference crown in 2023. Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant are two of the best players this game has to offer, while the Harden/Maxey vs. Irving/Simmons backcourt duel is sure to fuel plenty of arguments ahead of the regular season.
Here’s what the Sixers fanbase should be monitoring.
Sixers-Nets what to watch for: James Harden’s comfort level
James Harden never looked quite right in Philly last season. He was great — don’t get it twisted — but the production isn’t what we’re accustomed to from Harden, and his comfort level within the offense was never 100 percent.
This will be our first taste of Harden after his widely celebrated summer of change. This was Harden’s first full, healthy offseason in two years. He lost weight, he played pick-up, and by all accounts, he looks better. More like his old self. It’s only the preseason, but we should still get a decent sampling of Harden’s burst on Monday. If he’s rumbling downhill like the Harden of old, that would cause for excitement in Sixers land.
Even if Harden looks like he did last year, there’s plenty of room for growth. He still needs to be more aggressive hunting his shot and he still needs to develop better pick-and-roll chemistry with Joel Embiid (both were points of emphasis for Doc Rivers at practice last week). If Harden looks more like Embiid’s partner in crime, rather than a secondary character in a one-man show, that will bode well for Philadelphia’s offense. A more dynamic Harden only makes life easier for Embiid.
Sixers-Nets what to watch for: Transition defense
The Nets’ offense should be dangerous enough in the halfcourt thanks to the combined individual brilliance of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. There might not be two more potent isolation scorers in the NBA. That said, the Sixers’ defense really struggled to contain the fast break last season. With Ben Simmons entering the fold, Brooklyn should lean heavily into their run-and-gun potential. That sets up a fascinating preseason litmus test for the new-look Sixers defense.
Simmons is guardable in the halfcourt (Tobias Harris is likely to draw that matchup) but when he’s out and running, that’s when the Sixers’ defense will be under the greatest stress. Brooklyn has a center who can sprint the floor like a gazelle in Nic Claxton, while Durant, Irving, and whoever takes the final starting spot in Curry’s absence (Joe Harris, Patty Mills, Royce O’Neale) will pose significant threats behind the 3-point line. The Nets’ best bet against a bigger, more physical Sixers team is to run them to death. How do the Sixers hold up?
More broadly, it will be our first taste of the Sixers’ revamped defensive rotation. Will P.J. Tucker’s physicality and communication pay immediate dividends? How does De’Anthony Melton look when he inevitably guards Kyrie Irving? With Melton on the floor, does Matisse Thybulle get to spend more time hunting steals and blocks off the ball? There will be plenty to monitor and explore for Doc Rivers and the fanbase.
Brooklyn might be the best offensive team in basketball next season. They have all the personnel necessary to maximize Simmons’ skill set. Durant and Irving put up All-Star level scoring numbers every year. Meanwhile, the Sixers want to be the best defensive team in basketball. This is one heck of trial run.
Sixers-Nets what to watch for: The first 10
We know the first five: Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, Tyrese Maxey, James Harden. The next five, however, feels completely up in the air. Of all the reserves, De’Anthony Melton probably has the strongest hold on a rotation spot. Montrezl Harrell, meanwhile, is the favorite (if not the runaway favorite) to be Embiid’s primary backup at center. That leaves three wing spots to split between five or six viable candidates.
How Doc Rivers sets up his rotation will be perhaps the primary takeaway from Monday’s game and every other preseason game. Who is in the rotation, who is out of the rotation, and who is within striking distance?
If forced to bet on which three “wings” Rivers will go to, my bet would be Danuel House Jr., Georges Niang, and Matisse Thybulle. House was signed to the bi-annual exception and contributes on both sides of the ball. Niang was the Sixers’ best regular season reserve in 2021, and Thybulle is a truly one-of-one defensive player (however dreadful the offense may be on a given night). That said, there is competition afoot. Shake Milton was the Sixers’ best postseason reserve — is he going to drop from the rotation completely? Meanwhile, Furkan Korkmaz is back to full strength and Isaiah Joe is entering a contract year. Heck, even Paul Reed could sneak into some minutes at the four.
Doc Rivers will have choices to make. He has long favored experience, both broadly speaking (age) and within his system. House is a veteran who has played for winning teams, but he’s new to Rivers’ system. Is his place in the rotation set in stone? Joe is young and unproven, and thusly we haven’t seen him despite plenty of promising flashes. Will Rivers finally let him out of the doghouse. Then there’s Korkmaz and Milton: both are both Doc favorites. It will be a fascinating four-game stretch as far as who does (and doesn’t) see minutes staggered with the starting crew.