3 observations after the Sixers beat the NZ Breakers in the season opener

3 observations after Sixers beat NZ Breakers in their preseason opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Within minutes, there was no doubt that the 2024-25 Sixers would begin their preseason with a very crucial win.

The team opened its six-game preseason with a 139-84 victory over the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Tyrese Maxey was among the Sixers’ many efficient players, scoring 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting (4-for-5 from three-point range) and three assists in the first quarter.

Neither Joel Embiid nor Paul George played as they prepared for crucial games. Both stars were on the floor Monday morning after the Sixers shootout.

Head coach Nick Nurse was pleased after a night where 19 Sixers played and scored 17 goals.

“I was just glad we came out and chased them defensively,” Nurse said. “We try to build up these things – ball pressure, deflections, turnovers. We’re working on a certain tempo a lot more this year than we have in the past – charges and moving the ball up the floor. We did some of it pretty (well). And then you just get everyone out of there and go.

“We saw a lot of things in training camp where you’re never quite sure what you’re seeing when you’re playing against yourself. And then you go out there and a lot of that was confirmed tonight, which is good. Good start to get the basics of things done.”

The Sixers’ second exhibition game is Friday night against the Timberwolves in Des Moines, Iowa. Here are observations from their stunning win against the Breakers:

Drummond lets them fly

Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond moved into the Sixers’ starting lineup. Drummond was true to form and was particularly interesting to watch.

He scored the first basket of the game and finished the game within a Maxey hit-ahead feed. Gordon became the fifth Sixers starter on the board when he hit a three-pointer after a Drummond offensive board. The huge talent gap between the teams was immediately apparent; A Maxey three-pointer extended the Sixers’ lead to 13-1.

Then Drummond got in on the three-point fun by executing a catch-and-shoot jump shot from the left corner.

Drummond last made the regular season on February 24, 2020. It seems pretty unlikely that he’ll turn into a serious shot threat, but he’s obviously been working on his jumper and is ready to shoot in games when left wide-open. He tried again later in the first quarter and missed.

Drummond played the first seven minutes of the night and had five points and five rebounds in his first stint. On a less positive note, he was called for two early fouls. Drummond likes to poke around and look for forced turnovers, a trait Nurse probably tolerates more than the average head coach.

Maxey and McCain’s shotmaking

Maxey’s performance was exactly what you would expect from the only All-Star on the floor.

He played the entire first half and was fast, shifty and impossible for the Breakers to stop. The fifth-year guard struck a good balance between aggressive shooting and distributing the ball to his teammates.

Jared McCain also knocked down four three-pointers on nine attempts from distance.

In the second quarter, the rookie guard hit a step-back three-pointer and later hit two catch-and-shoot triples in a row. For a young player looking to both impress and learn the professional game, watching show jumpers fall is a confidence booster.

“Since Summer League, I’ve just been working on those catch-and-shoot shots,” McCain said. “When the first one failed, it was a relief. From then on it was just muscle memory. I know what I’m doing out there.”

McCain’s performance was overall mixed. He was 1-for-5 from inside the arc and was beaten off the dribble a few times on defense. In a team-best 28 minutes, the 20-year-old scored 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

He called the night “the best feeling of my life” and compared the experience to a video game.

“I feel like I’m in (NBA) 2K,” McCain said with a smile. “This is amazing. There is no way to describe it. I’ve been running 2K, I’ve been watching basketball games since I was a kid, and putting on this jersey tonight, I didn’t feel like it.”

Pay attention to the rotation image

Although Nurse described Guerschon Yabusele at media day as “not a three-pointer and … not really a five-pointer,” the 28-year-old Frenchman played in the middle behind Drummond. He’s obviously a backup option for the big man.

Yabusele made his first NBA appearance since 2019, scoring 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting and two assists.

“It feels special just getting into the arena,” he said Monday morning about his NBA return. “It’s been great so far. I’m just enjoying it, trying to have as much fun as possible and learn to get better.”

Yabusele will likely play most of his minutes at power forward on full-strength nights for the Sixers. Whatever the case, he seems like a player who should be able to score points just by running the floor and planting himself in the paint whenever he has an exciting cross matchup. He is also likely to have success as a hard roller away from his screens.

Rookie Adem Bona was the Sixers’ third center against the Breakers, playing in young lineups with teammates like McCain, Justin Edwards and Lester Quinones.

Other rotation points worth mentioning:

Kyle Lowry shared the floor with Maxey for the last five minutes or so of the first quarter. The veteran recorded five assists in his 10 minutes in the first half.

KJ Martin played as the backup power forward behind Caleb Martin and contributed six points, three rebounds and two steals. Nurse commented before the game that the Sixers have seen significant improvement over the 23-year-old Martin as a shooter since last season. He didn’t shoot threes on Monday, but we’ll soon see if that progress translates into games.

Ricky Council IV showed off his explosive athleticism, scoring 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting and six rebounds. A highlight is always possible when he storms forward in the open field.

Like KJ Martin, Council is hoping to gain rotation time early in the season through strong preseason work.