After First Game, There Is A Lot To Look Forward To For The Sixers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A win is a win. In the Philadelphia 76ers' season-opening victory against their rival Boston Celtics, they showed flashes of dominance on defense but also were stagnant on offense. However, Sixers fans should take a lot of positives away from the first game of the 2019-20 season.
Here are a few things we learned about this Philadelphia 76ers team:
Ben Simmons Is On A Mission This Season
In 35 minutes, Simmons was the catalyst for Philadelphia with 24 points, eight rebounds and nine assists -- all without making the jump shot fans were teased with all offseason.
Simmons clearly wanted to prove that even without a jumper he can dominate in multiple ways on the court. After dealing with him in training camp and practice, his teammates did not need a reminder of his potential.
"Who needs to be reminded? Not me, unless you do, not me," Tobias Harris said laughing. "I see it everyday. He forces teams to really make a crowd every time he drives in the lane. That's actually one of his best weapons."
Harris added that Simmons' ability to draw a crowd has nearly the same effect that a shooter who spaces the floor does. He also says when Simmons gets open looks he feels the work he put in during the summer will show.
When asked if he felt any frustrations on the attention that is drawn to what he does not do — mainly shooting — Simmons answered with a confidence that should make fans excited about what kind of player he could be.
"I'm skilled, I'm gifted, so I'm pretty good at what I do," Simmons told reporters. "There's things I have to get better at. Everyone in the room knows that it's shooting but I'm working."
With his mindset on and off the court, it appears that Simmons is all in to prove that the five-year, $170 million contract he signed this offseason was well worth it.
This Defense Is Good As Advertised
Last season, as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, Kemba Walker lit up the Sixers' defense for 60 points. On Wednesday, he ended with only 12, with 10 of those points coming in the first-half.
The Celtics scored at least 105 points in four matchups against Philadelphia last season. Last night, the new-look Sixers held them to just 93 points and 46.7% shooting from the field.
Coming into the season fans salivated over the idea of this team's potential on defense and they did not disappoint in the season opener.
Fifty of the Sixers' 62 rebounds came on the defensive end, this along with forcing 11 Celtic turnovers, blocking seven shots and six steals, which fueled the team even when their offense struggled.
The defense ramped up, especially in the second-half of Wednesday's win. The Celtics were held to just 20 points in the third quarter.
"That's where we want to form our identity and be a team that is getting after it, hustling and protecting the rim. We want to be the best defensive team in the NBA," Harris said.
Matisse Thybulle Shows He Belongs In The League
Yes, it was one game, but the Sixers' first-round pick was thrown into the fire and had to defend Walker, who is one of the top scorers in the NBA.
And in typical Philadelphia fashion, Thybulle did not back down from the challenge. He did get beat a few times early which can be expected from a rookie in his first game, but the moment did not seem to get to the rookie.
"It was intimidating at first, just to think this was somebody [Kemba Walker] that I watched for years and played with on [NBA] 2K. So I know what he is capable of and it was a cool experience but good for me to see how I match up against one of the best in the league," Thybulle told reporters.
In 22 minutes, the rookie accounted for two steals, two blocks and five deflections. Even though his two blocks came against Walker, Thybulle saw his defensive performance as just "doing my job."
Now, every rookie looks forward to their first NBA basket and for Thybulle, it took a little longer to come. With 1:36 left in the game, the rookie made his first basket and joked afterward that he thought it was going to happen sooner.
"I was hoping one of my layups would have been my first basket but you know you can't get them all," Thybulle said laughing.
The Sixers looked to have found a rookie ready to take on his first NBA season head-on and appears to not mind doing the dirty work to help the team win.
The Offense Will Take Time
Coming into the 2019-20 season, there was one elephant in the room for the Philadelphia 76ers — where is the scoring coming from?
In the first quarter, it may have been first-game jitters but it was not pretty as the Sixers missed four of their first five shots and also missed their first seven three-pointers.
Their defense carried them through the first-half, then in the second-half the team picked up the scoring and used a 13-1 run in the fourth quarter to help power them to an opening night win.
So, should fans be concerned about the offense? The answer is no.
The Sixers used their defensive intensity to carry them past a team that is loaded with wing scorers by being aggressive and attacking the rim which led them to 36 total free throws.
Even with only making seven three-pointers, the Sixers were still able to score 107 points and scored 58 of those in the paint.
Fans should also see game one as a positive in the sense that all five starters scored in double-figures which happened 19 times all of last season. This speaks to players realizing it may not be their night and not trying to isolate.
Also keep in mind most nights we can expect more than 15 points from Joel Embiid and more than 10 points from Al Horford.
Overall, it was a good first night for the Sixers, everyone was able to get involved offensively and they flexed their muscle on defense. If they are able to correct the turnover issues that have plagued the team for some time now and Embiid comes to the form fans are use to seeing him in, Philadelphia will achieve their goal of becoming a force in the league.
It certainly is an exciting time to be a Sixers fan.
