The Philadelphia 76ers are in Washington on the tail end of back-to-back games, taking on the Wizards on Tuesday night. Center Joel Embiid will be back in the starting lineup, with his minutes restriction continuing, after missing Monday's game against the Magic, as the team looks to keep him healthy for the long term. Tonight will also mark the Sixers' debut of Trendon Watford, who the team signed as a free agent this past summer.
The Sixers beat the Magic on Monday night before leaving for Washington, while the Wizards will be rested after being blown out by the Hornets on Sunday.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (3-0) at Washington Wizards (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, Fubo
The Sixers have jumped out to an undefeated 3-0 record on the heels of beating the Magic in Philly on Monday night. The team, thought to be in limbo with the injuries to Joel Embiid, Paul George and Jared McCain, has been one of the more exciting teams in the league to start the season.
Guard Tyrese Maxey has taken the team over as its leader and best player, leading the team with 37 points, four rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game while playing 41.7 minutes per game. In addition, Maxey is shooting 46% from the field and 51.7% from three-point range. As he's taken on the leadership role, he's shown just how great he can be, and the team is following right along.
As a rookie and Maxey's sidekick this season, VJ Edgecombe, in just three games, has shown that he may have been undervalued in the draft. After a record-setting night to open the year, Edgecombe hasn't cooled down, averaging 25 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He's averaging slightly over 40 minutes per game and shooting 50% from the field and 40% from the three-point line. The team couldn't ask for a more perfect complementary player and star to pair with Maxey.
The Sixers got a huge night out of Kelly Oubre Jr., who's quietly averaging 18 points and five rebounds per game to start the year. Against the Magic, Oubre exploded for 25 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 56% from the floor, hitting all five of his free throws, and had two big blocks to help the team.
On paper, the Wizards don't look like a good team, and on the court, they still don't. The name recognition is there with players like CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton, Tre Johnson, Cam Whitmore, and Alex Sarr, but they just aren't a very good basketball team. They've been a bottom team in the league for several years, and it doesn't seem to be getting better very soon.
Washington's top draft pick, Tre Johnson, isn't starting and may not play due to a sore back, but until he's ruled out, he's worth being wary of. He's done well this season, averaging 17 points per game off the bench, but despite his success and the number of people who once said the Sixers would've been wise to take him, he's not even close to the player Edgecombe is in the young season.
In their most recent loss, to the Hornets, the team had all 15 players get minutes, and five of them scored in double figures. That would lead people, from the outside, to think that they had a very good game and all of the deep reserves were in. That's not the case. The team shot poorly from the three-point line, was outrebounded, turned the ball over too many times, and committed way too many fouls against a Hornets team that played almost the same game against the Sixers the night before. A huge difference is the shooting and limiting the fouls, where the Wizards aren't very good at either.
This year's Sixers team is just exciting, and lost in all of that will be Joel Embiid competing in his third of four games this season. Despite that strict minutes restriction, the Sixers are hoping Embiid can be the player who showed up against the Hornets with 20 points in 20 minutes. The only issue—and it's going to get bigger if it continues—is that Embiid was salty about the restriction and left his team to change after hitting his minutes limit. Embiid sees that the team now belongs to Maxey and is becoming a complementary piece, rather than the star, which usually hits hard for players.
What we can look forward to is Maxey continuing to show that he's the team's leader and one of the league's better young players. Combined with Edgecombe, there will be plenty of scoring and plenty of highlights. With those two on the floor, you shouldn't walk away from the TV.
While the new dynamic duo in the city has exploded, players like Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., Adem Bona, Justin Edwards, and Jabari Walker are following suit and taking what the game is giving them. There has been a real excitement throughout the lineup for each other and an unselfish manner of play that fits what head coach Nick Nurse is trying to do with this year's squad.
For a team that didn't see their fourth win of the season until Dec. 3 of last season, this year's team could be 4-0 and it's not even November.
Sixers 123 - Wizards 108
