Philadelphia 76ers: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

2. Markelle Fultz has some rust to work off

Markelle Fultz didn’t have the greatest debut to the 2018-19 season. He put up five points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal along with three turnovers in 24 minutes of play. The former first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has some progress to make as he works into the starting rotation, that’s for sure.

Fultz went 2-of-7 from the floor in the first game of the season. He didn’t attempt a 3-pointer and many of his missed shots were chip shots at the rim. He didn’t look explosive his first game out, but he looked like he hasn’t played up-tempo basketball in a while.

Their backcourt production will need to improve greatly if they hope to contend for the Eastern Conference crown. At times, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid seemed to be all the offense for Philadelphia. Dario Saric missed much of the third quarter when he picked up his fourth foul. As a result, he couldn’t find much of a rhythm in the second half, either, finishing with just six points in the game.

While Fultz looks to be a step slow for now, it will be interesting to see how Brett Brown responds if his lack of production continues. He brought in Redick off the bench, but it took him a while to get going too. With question marks to start the season, the Sixers still can’t get past the Celtics and until then, they’ll struggle going forward, especially in postseason play.