Tyrese Maxey left the game early with a right thumb contusion and did not return. Kelly Oubre Jr. didn't play the second half. And the Sixers had no juice left as they dropped their preseason finale to the Orlando Magic, 114-99.
Here's what I saw.
Likes
- Want to see a defense scramble? Watch what happens when the ball goes to Eric Gordon. That man has sniper shooting gravity.
- Drummond could get 10 rebounds playing with his eyes closed. Literally. I do believe that.
- Caleb Martin - jack of all trades, master of none. There were times in which he over-dribbled to try to make something happen and got in trouble. But, he did all of the little things in this game. A willing trigger from deep, a little bit of off-the-dribble creation for himself, passing and relocating, blocking three-point attempts on the closeout, cutting through to the weak side at the right times and finding his way to the rim to compete for the ball when the shot goes up
Dislikes
- As good as Andre Drummond will be filling in for Joel Embiid, the Magic are one of the matchups that pose problems for Philadelphia's defense because of the types of players Drummond has to defend. Paolo Banchero functions as a big. Wendell Carter Jr. is the acting center, but he can shoot and attack closeouts.
Carter gave Drummond a fit early in the game, blowing by him on the perimeter for a finish at the rim. Banchero made quick work of him with a behind-the-back dribble to burst past Drummond into space.
Drummond is going to be more than passable in the regular season just by dominating the glass. He's looked really active and aware on defense around the rim, too, blowing up high passes in the paint often in the preseason. But, he just cannot guard in space.
It's going to make him a liability in the playoffs, and the Sixers don't have a clear solution for how to counter matchups that expose that issue. Perhaps it's Guerschon Yabusele playing more minutes at the five. Perhaps it's KJ Martin and Yabusele teaming up to offer size in small ball lineups. But, there's no clear fix there.
- Nick Nurse mentioned in training camp that Oubre looked much more comfortable in year two with Philadelphia. That's great for Oubre. I do wonder if that's a great thing for the Sixers. He's called his own number with the frequency of a perennial All-Star over the past couple preseason games, Friday night being no different. His defense didn't justify the shot selection, either. Oubre got turned around and put on the back hip often in the first half, allowing dribble penetration and fouling when he tried to make up for it by contesting from the rear.
To be fair, he might've ultimately been the most talented option outside of Maxey, who departed five minutes into the game. And it wasn't like he was firing contested three after contested three. But, Oubre used up a lot of possessions in this game and made a number of mistakes on the defensive end. If it sounds familiar, that's because it is. So, not invalid to wonder whether Oubre feeling more comfortable meant regression to some old, bad habits.
- Upon watching the second half, Oubre deserves more credit for the work he did. Still quite a bit of Kelly ball, but it was apparent that he was the only one who had any offensive juice for Philadelphia when he didn't play in the second half. They had basically nothing without him.
- Martin shoots jumpers with his right hand, but goes out of his way to finish exclusively with his left. I cannot count the number of times he's made a play more complex because he so strongly desires to shoot with his left at the rim. He has to develop that right hand.
Spare thoughts
- Don't know the odds of tipping the opening jump ball perfectly so that your teammate gets a sprinting start to a loose ball for a very easy dunk, but Drummond pulled it off.
The Sixers will host the Milwaukee Bucks in the regular-season opener on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Eastern time. You can catch the game on ESPN.
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