The Philadelphia 76ers made their season debut Tuesday night, defeating the defending champion New York Knicks in a 106-100 battle. After an offseason filled with excitement, breaking news and questions, the team finally began to answer what they would look like on the court. If Tuesday night was any indication, the answer is dangerous.
Here are three main takeaways from the Sixers' opening-night victory.
For years now, the Sixers have been one of those teams that struggle to do the little things right. While there were mistakes and momentary lapses Tuesday night, the Sixers were impressive overall in a matchup with the defending NBA champions.
Although the Sixers were outrebounded, in large part thanks to former Sixer Andre Drummond's phenomenal rebounding ability, they finished the night with more assists, fewer turnovers, more steals and more blocks than the Knicks.
For a team that was so often outmatched in the nitty-gritty last season, watching them truly battle was an encouraging sight early in the NBA season.
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With so much attention on the Sixers' star additions, new lead executive Mike Gansey's acquisitions of Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope proved crucial in Philadelphia's victory.
Down the stretch, both players provided crucial three-point shooting and spacing for the Sixers. Simons was especially electric. His combination of ball-handling, shot creation and transition baskets played a large part in the Sixers' success.
While the Sixers' bench managed just 23 points combined, its five made three-pointers accounted for nearly half of Philadelphia's makes from beyond the arc. With Dean Wade missing the game, the Sixers' bench should only improve with the 3-and-D forward's eventual return to the court.
When a team built around superstars like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey adds other superstars like Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the "there's only one ball" argument is bound to creep in. After one game, the Sixers have shown promise in putting that argument to bed.
The Sixers gelled extremely well, regularly making unselfish plays or giving teammates space to play their game. Throughout the game, the star-studded roster found its rhythm. Whether it was Joel staying on the perimeter to let Jaylen go to work in the midrange or Tyrese listening as LeBron directed traffic to generate open looks, the Sixers each took turns in the driver's seat.
This type of unselfish play was reflected in the final box score. Of the Sixers' starting five, Tyrese led the way with 28 points, but he also tallied five assists, three steals and three blocks. Brown, LeBron and Joel each stuffed the stat sheet, with all three registering at least eight rebounds and six assists apiece.
Joel especially embraced a different role, becoming a stalwart defensive presence in the interior, recording three blocks and two more steals for the Sixers.
While it couldn't be any earlier in the season, the early returns on the Sixers' star-studded lineup seem to be well worth the investment.
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