Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their preseason action in the same fashion we have all come to expect for 2014-15 with a 20-point blowout loss on the road in Boston. Prepare yourselves 76ers’ fans, this is going to be the norm until late April for Brett Brown’s youthful squad.
But despite looking towards a season that is going to be engulfed by dark and depressing storm clouds for the 76ers and their fan base, there will be plenty of silver linings and here’s a few to look for in Wednesday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets, along with some more ominous storm clouds to expect.
The Good
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Let me begin with the guy who impressed the most with his 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field,
Hollis Thompson. He did this in only 21:41 of game time and would have likely had a much more impressive performance is given some more clock. With Brett Brown looking for answers on the perimeter for the upcoming season, Thompson should be tested by his coach as to whether or not he can produce at the same level, and even excel past that 15-point performance on a consistent basis.
As for the only other guy who really stood out in the Sixers’ first preseason game, Arnett Moultrie played as if he was debuting for a future in the NBA and will look to continue to build upon that. After a 12-point showing on 6-of-10 shooting and six rebounds, Moultrie will be looking to replicate that performance Wednesday against the Hornets.
For Moultrie, this is right around the ceiling we can expect him to reach … for this season at least. But this is far from a bad thing and if he can prove to become a reliable and efficient scorer off the bench, he’ll find himself in Philly for a few more seasons. But it’s one game at a time and before we all get too excited, let’s see if Moultrie can even keep this level of production consistent for two straight games.
The Bad
Now let’s get to the bad, and there was a ton of it.
Most notably was the post play for the Sixers with Nerlens Noel and Henry Sims being as close to non-factors offensively as it can get. The two shot a combined 5-for-24 from the field for a total of 10 points. Noel, as to be expected, looked noticeably uncomfortable offensively. He never really got any good looks at the rim and looked to be forcing at times. The same goes for Sims, although, he just looked flat out flustered offensively.
But don’t expect this to get much better against a far more skilled interior led by big Al Jefferson. It’s going to take time for the Sixers to establish any identity down low so looking for any signs of progress and comfort in the post will be a great sign for 76ers fans.
As for the turnover issue with 27 against a lowly Celtics team, don’t expect this to get much better anytime soon, especially tonight. Philadelphia is littered with a roster comprised of youth, inexperience and mediocre talent that is all meshed into a mix of very little chemistry and comfort as a unit. These are the ingredients of a disaster from a ball security standpoint and with the Sixers going into Wednesday’s game outmatched at every position, these turnover woes won’t do anything but increase against the rising Hornets.
Then, most notably is the complete lack of guys who can score at a consistent rate. Tell me how crazy this sounds; Tony Wroten, Thompson and Moultrie led the Sixers in scoring with 19 points, 15 points and 12 points, respectively. The rest of the roster chipped in for a pitiful compilation of 32 points.
The point of the game is to score more points than your opponent and this seems like it’s going to become an issue to 76ers simply cannot overcome. Their matchup with the Hornets won’t tell the full story, but if their scoring struggles follow the same storyline, the writing on the wall will begin for what should become the league’s worst offensive unit.
We will probably have a mix of highs and lows between the two throughout the beginning of the season, but that’s what will make the Sixers so interesting to follow. Although they will be pretty terrible, there will be endless opportunities to arise and watch guys establish themselves in the NBA and watch a young team mold and become a unit. With a wide-open roster race, every night will be interesting and tonight will be no exception.