Entering the upcoming season with extreme optimism, the Philadelphia 76ers face some early obstacles in their October schedule.
While their 2-3 preseason record was nothing to write home about, the Philadelphia 76ers nonetheless emerged as one of the biggest winners in the lead-up to the regular season.
After competing in just 31 games over three seasons, the return to full health for center Joel Embiid was simply invaluable for the mindset of the franchise moving forward.
Following four seasons of misery in which the Sixers posted a 75-253 record, Embiid’s presence alone has given the team an incredible boost of confidence on the eve of the 2017-18 regular season. The simple sight of Embiid posting 22 points and seven rebounds in just 15 minutes in his first game since the end of January is reason enough to be very bullish on the Sixers this season.
But having said all this, the regular season is a different ball game, and the early season schedule for the Sixers represents an amazing challenge for an emerging roster.
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The season tips off Oct. 18, when the Sixers hit the road to take on the Washington Wizards. Coming off a 49-win season, the Wizards are bound to be featured among the elite in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers follow this up with a back-to-back set against the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. Therefore, with their first three opponents all reaching last year’s postseason, this will clearly paint an early picture of exactly where the Sixers stand at that particular point in time.
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In addition to facing this trio of teams, the Sixers also complete both their regular season matchups with the Houston Rockets in the month of October. One of the more heavily favored teams in the league considering their offseason additions, which includes All-Star point guard Chris Paul, the Rockets will certainly test the Sixers’ defense in the early stages of the season.
In addition to these matchups, the Sixers have a pair of road games against the Detroit Pistons and the Dallas Mavericks.
With just one back-to-back in the first month, Embiid should be able to compete in six out of the team’s first seven games. On top of the appearance of Embiid, the Sixers are also looking forward to the regular season debuts of Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz.
Having missed his entire first season due to a foot injury, Simmons has impressed in the preseason, averaging 18.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists on a per-36 minutes basis. For his part, Fultz has had an injury-interrupted preseason campaign, and as a result is slated to come off the bench to commence the regular season.
Markelle Fultz will come off the bench to start the season after seeing limited action in the preseason https://t.co/5swExniC5w pic.twitter.com/H5ToTkdy2z
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) October 15, 2017
Here’s how schedule for October pans out:
- Oct. 18 at Washington Wizards
- Oct. 20 vs. Boston Celtics
- Oct. 21 at Toronto Raptors
- Oct. 23 at Detroit Pistons
- Oct. 25 vs. Houston Rockets
- Oct. 28 at Dallas Mavericks
- Oct. 30 at Houston Rockets
Overall, the Sixers play just two of their October games at the Wells Fargo Center.
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With the Pistons and Mavericks representing the only opponents absent from last year’s postseason, the Sixers clearly have their work cut for them in the early part of the schedule.