Looking For Positives In A The 76ers Losing Effort

It what will go down as a “home” game for the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Roanoke Civic Center hardly resembled what opening night will look like at the Well Fargo Center on October 27th.  Fortunately for the city of Philadelphia, the Sixers’ teams they are familiar with watching hardly resemble what they saw last year as well.

Look, I understand that pre-season basketball is about as fun as watching slides from your annoying family members’ Florida vacation, but there were a few positives to take out of the Sixers’103-96 defeat of the New Jersey Nets Tuesday night.

For the most part, the Sixers looked like they may have added more depth this year. The versatile talents of guys like Jodie Meeks and Craig Brackins are exactly what they are looking to showcase this year. The “second unit” ( Lou Williams, Meeks, Brackins, Marreese Speights, and Turner) combined for 55 points, something they desperately needed throughout last season.

The team looked slightly better on the defensive side of the ball than normal. It can be attributed to the defensive pressure that translated into 22 fast break points.

However, the negatives from the game still scare me. The half court offense looked horrible at times and the team still struggled behind the arc (2 for 18). They also still need to tighten up their interior defense, but again it’s only game 1 of the pre-season.

Another note from the game is Sixers small forward Thaddeus Young, went down in the second quarter with a corneal abrasion to his left eye and was unable to return. According to Philly.com, the injury is not serious and he is listed as day-to-day. We can all agree that it’s only pre-season. So we can take these games for what they are. It’s not time to panic or say they will be a championship contender. Just enjoy watching the maturation of the team, and also pray that the young guys develop into quality players while remaining healthy.

The Sixers will continue their preseason schedule on Wednesday against the Boston Celtics in Manchester, N.H.