The Sixers kept their turnovers low, kept up with the Milwaukee Bucks at the foul line and were extremely competitive on the glass, but a rough shooting night doomed them in their season-opener.
Here's what I saw.
- Give me all the Tyrese Maxey post-ups on small guards this season. It puts him in position to actually use his midrange game from a favorable spot. And, if he's shooting a jumper out of the post, he likely won't have a bigger player's hand in his face. If nothing else, it's an easier way to get him the ball without starting his touch 22 feet from the rim with a big in front of him and his primary defender chasing or on his hip.
- It was malpractice that the Sixers let Gary Trent Jr. get away with face-guarding Maxey early on. But, they quickly flipped the script and used it to their advantage. Maxey had to put in some additional effort to spring free, especially when Trent went into top-lock mode when he sensed it was obvious Philadelphia was trying to get the ball to its lone available star. But, there was no panic. And eventually, they broke the strategy by just getting the ball to Maxey higher on the floor.
- Perhaps only Maxey inspired more enthusiasm from the locals than Guerschon Yabusele did. Yabusele was everywhere in the first half, and on both ends of the court. One of his most notable moments was a rotation on the back side of the floor to tag Giannis Antetokounmpo and prevent an uncontested touch in the paint.
The newest Sixer was active on the glass, ending Milwaukee possessions with a strong grip on missed shots and finding his way to the right place at the right time to give Philadelphia second chances.
Few things got the crowd more amped than Yabusele throwing his body on the floor to try and win a loose ball.
- I was critical of Kelly Oubre Jr. in the preseason because there was some regression to old habits. This game did not ease those concerns. But, Oubre answered the bell at times when the Sixers' offense was flat. He got to his left hand, put the ball on the deck and fought his way to some difficult scores in the paint. Philadelphia needed someone to provide some consistency as Maxey struggled through a 6-for-19 first half, and Oubre was game.
- Andre Drummond attempted a corner three. He's better at them when he's wide open in an empty gym and I'll leave it at that.
- When the Bucks did finally go on a run, Maxey had some bad moments on defense. They caught him sleeping at the rim, Trent Jr. sneaking backdoor for a layup. Taurean Prince got an uncontested seal and layup because Maxey was out of position on a rotation in the paint.
Everyone understands that his workload on offense is exhaustive. But, Maxey can separate himself from the stereotypical small star guard by not having checked-out moments on defense.
You're not going to stop everything. But, the expectation is that you don't have space cadet moments at the worst possible times.
- It appears not even a max contract could earn Maxey a whistle level with his fellow stars. Damian Lillard certainly had no issue getting the benefit of the doubt. Maxey, on the other hand, practically needed a shovel to the face to get some respect.
- Those nice things I said about Oubre earlier....well he missed a three, knew it was off and got his own rebound, and then completely disregarded a wide open KJ Martin five feet away in favor of an isolation against Bobby Portis inside. He then, of course, missed the layup.
- For the life of me, I have no idea why the Sixers were so intent on playing up on Antetokounmpo. There is a decade of scouting information that shows he's amongst the worst jump-shooters in the league. If there is any star you can confidently step away from on the perimeter, it is unequivocally him. Every time the Sixers played up on him, it invited a pick-and-roll that got Antetokounmpo moving downhill with force. Just back away and let him shoot jumpers all night.
- Sad to report the Sixers were back in blue at home. The home whites were merely a preseason tease.
- I vastly underestimated Eric Gordon's defensive ability. He's undersized and trending toward the twilight of his career, but that guy stood Antetokounmpo up like a brick wall in transition.
The Sixers (0-1) will visit the Toronto Raptors (0-1) on Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
