It would be foolish to put too much stock on a couple of preseason games, but the Philadelphia 76ers did not exactly have an impressive start to their first couple of outings as a lead-up to the looming 2025-26 season.
The 76ers both of their preseason games in Abu Dhabi against the Knicks, their main division rivals. In those contests, offense turned out a huge problem for the squad, and not having Paul George, Joel Embiid, Quentin Grimes, and Jared McCain definitely did not help their cause on the offensive end. The result? Two unremarkable performances as a collective.
During their initial hurrah versus New York, Philly could only muster 84 points, draining just three of their 35 attempts from beyond the three-point line. In their second one, they managed to rack up just 86 markers. While they shot the ball better from rainbow country, they were putrid on virtually every aspect of offense.
The common denominator in those games? Lack of playmaking. Over those two contests, the 76ers registered just 17 assists per outing while coughing the ball up at an average rate of 16.5 a game. Their sheer lack of playmaking talent was pretty evident, and without much of an in-house fix, that could very well persist moving forward.
The 76ers have a major flaw when it comes to playmaking
Philadelphia was second to the last in the league last season in dimes per contest, and while assists are not the lone indicator of team basketball and playmaking prowess, their low number necessarily means that they have a pressing need in that department.
The front office, however, seem to not have though much about it, if at all. The team did not address this issue, hoping to rely on their score-first guards to improve as table-setters on offense instead of installing proven floor generals who could give them a lift in that area.
With Tyrese Maxey having to do the heavy lifting on the scoring end and Jared McCain being held out for the next four to six weeks, the coaching staff has to get more creative in setting the team up to generate more open looks. Right now, the offense looks stale, and even though the rotations are understandably irregular at this juncture, there is likewise no semblance of structure or flow to their scoring attack at the moment.
Hopefully, the coaching staff will do something to abate this growing nuisance, lest the 76ers risk deploying a predictable offense more reliant on sheer talent than actual teamwork.