What we learned from season opener
The 76ers started the 2020-21 NBA regular season with a 113-107 victory over the Washington Wizards at the Wells Fargo Center.
Here's what we learned:
Half-court issues
The Sixers' starters are still not in sync when they have to run the half-court offense. There is a lot of standing around and hesitating, which makes the defense's job easier, and the spacing is not ideal.
“We can be a scary team once we start clicking and executing plays,” Sixers guard Ben Simmons said. “There's spurts where we look great and spurts we looked a little unorganized. That just comes with time.”
Simmons didn't attack the basket enough and center Joel Embiid (29 points, 14 rebounds) has a tendency to hold the ball rather than either making his move or pass right away against double-teams, though he handled the pressure better in the fourth quarter.
“It was good to see Joel face the doubleteams,” Rivers said. “He's going to face them every night. And we just have to keep getting better — get him better and get our guys better at dealing with it.”
In some ways, the issues with the set offense aren't a surprise given the new faces, a new coach and only two preseason games.
That forward Tobias Harris struggled didn't help matters, as he ended up with 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting.
“He just missed shots,” Rivers said. “I thought he was hesitant. … We'll watch the film and get him uncaged. He'll be fine.”
Making an adjustment
Rivers went with four shooters around Embiid for the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. The result was better floor balance and fewer clogged driving lanes.
“It was great,” said Embiid, who had 15 points in the final period. “It felt like the spacing wasn't there in the third quarter. I had much more space with a bunch of shooters around me. They got me the ball and I was able to do what I do best.”
Rivers liked how the Sixers scored on six of their last seven possessions to close out the win.
Starting wing Danny Green (1-for-6 shooting, -27 in 18 minutes) sat the final 17 minutes, 49 seconds, which meant increased playing time for sixth man Shake Milton (19 points in 30 minutes, +33).
“I thought he was terrific,” Rivers said of Milton.
“I'm just trying to be aggressive and make the right play,” Milton said.
Rivers noted Green hasn't played a lot of basketball after helping the Lakers win the 2019-20 NBA title in a season that lasted until Oct. 11.
“It's tough,” Rivers said. “These guys played so late and he's not young, so I'll be patient with him.”
Rotationally speaking
Rivers switched things up a bit by using rookie guard Tyrese Maxey in place of Matisse Thybulle on the second unit. The other four backups remained the same as in the preseason opener — Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Mike Scott and Dwight Howard.
“Matisse missed some time in camp,” Rivers said. “... Matisse will get his chance. I tell him that every day.”
The bench played well. Midway through the second quarter, the reserves had a plus-minus of +40. Rivers doesn't hesitate to play the five guys together, which Brett Brown couldn't do last season without the Sixers' being outplayed.
Maxey-mum impact
Speaking of the bench, Maxey was impressive with his ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic during the first half. He went 3 for 4 from the field in seven minutes and also contributed a pair of assists resulting in 3-pointers and two rebounds.
Maxey wasn't as effective during a shorter second-half stint, missing both of his shots in four minutes of action.
“The young fellow's playing great,” Rivers said. “I thought in the first half he was terrific.”
“It's something I need to do,” Simmons said. “Dwight's been pushing me to get better. He wants me to be great. I really appreciate that and respect him a lot, especially with the career that he's had.”