Starry Sixers show substance, defensive tools in opening win over Knicks

Starry Sixers show substance, defensive tools in opening win over Knicks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The opening weeks of this Sixers season were always destined to be about flashes, hints and promise. 

They loaded up on marquee names over the summer and had no expectations of immediate brilliance. Indeed, the Sixers’ shooters misfired for much of Tuesday night’s season opener at Madison Square Garden. Tyrese Maxey was the only Sixer to hit the 20-point mark, scoring 28. 

His team still snatched a 106-100 win over the defending champion Knicks. And it wasn’t all about the stars shimmering. The Sixers defended hard and well, plowed through rough patches, and displayed the enhanced versatility that had head coach Nick Nurse so excited about the team’s two-way potential at training camp.

“We’re still new to each other,” LeBron James said after posting 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. “We had some turnovers that were kind of unforced. We had some moments with an open look and we didn’t take it. That will happen early in the season. As we continue to build our offensive sets, our defensive sets, we will have some bumps in the road at times. 

“But I think tonight we had those bumps in the road against a good team and we were able to use what happened previously to make those adjustments. Tonight we knew we gave them some pick-sixes in the first half and we gave them offensive rebounds. … We cleaned that up in the second half and that’s the sign of a good team.”

Following a 19-point Sixers debut, Jaylen Brown agreed that the team hasn’t yet advanced past “just figuring it out.”

“We’re not even at the tip of the iceberg in terms of chemistry, understanding ourselves on the floor, understanding our spacing,” Brown said. “We’re still at the very early stages of what we can possibly be. So it’s a good sign that we can win while still being in that early stage.” 

None of the Sixers’ flaws in the opener raised serious alarm bells.

They were a tad thin on the second unit — only Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played double-digit minutes off the bench — but both of those players drilled vital three-pointers in the second half. The Sixers will have useful manpower once Dean Wade (left ankle sprain) and Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction) are available. 

Joel Embiid shot just 4 for 15 from the field and lost a handful of his individual battles with former teammate Andre Drummond in the first half. However, Embiid played far better than a 13-point, 11-rebound outing might indicate. He had three blocks, two steals and nimble, hustling sequences that made it natural to remember his defensive peak.

Embiid doesn’t think those days are behind him. The 32-year-old big man has three All-Defensive team selections on his future Hall of Famer résumé, the last of which came in the 2020-21 season. 

“I think this year is going to be back to All-Defensive team like in the past,” he said. “Felt good. Moving great and felt like I was all over the place. … Defensively, I think a lot of it falls on me. If I want to be All-Defense like I used to be, that changes everything for our team. If I can play that way every single night, which I will, it changes everything.”

Embiid’s defensive contributions also included a proposed mid-game matchup adjustment. 

He thought James should defend Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, enabling Embiid to serve in more of a roaming role and worry less about fouls. 

“I suggested it to the guys,” Embiid said. “I had three fouls and I just felt like the way they were calling it … I was just being honest. I wasn’t going to be as aggressive as I should be on defense, having three fouls. I wanted to stay on the floor and I thought we should do that. 

“He was great. That’s another big body that can guard the post. PJ Tucker was the last one we had that could do that, that could switch off and guard those bigger guys in the post. Last year we had (Paul George) and P.G. did a great job, but he’s a little light. Having Bron … we did that in the Olympics. We’ve done that in the past. That’s a good thing to change a little bit.”

On a glitz and glamour type of night at the Garden that featured the Knicks’ pregame championship banner ceremony and celebrities around every corner, the Sixers showed they have some real substance. 

“Lot of fun,” Maxey said. “Very competitive. I’ve been saying it all training camp and you saw it tonight. Extremely competitive on both ends of the floor.”

The home fans will pack Xfinity Mobile Arena to see the show Thursday night. The Sixers will meet the Cavaliers in their home opener.

“Listen, it’s one game,” Nurse said. “I’m really happy to come here and get a win. They’re a hell of a team. When I wake up tomorrow, I’ll probably forget about it and start getting ready for Cleveland.”