The 76ers didn’t need long to make an entrance at Madison Square Garden.
On Tuesday night, Philadelphia rolled out a fresh batch of offseason additions against the Knicks, and the early returns were exactly what the team had hoped for. Outside of injured Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti, the newcomers were on display, and from the opening minutes, there was plenty to like about how they fit.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was one of the steadier presences in the mix. The Sixers have been praising him all camp, and his influence has already shown up beyond the box score.
In 26 minutes, he scored 10 points on 2-for-6 shooting from deep, added four rebounds, and blocked a shot. It wasn’t a flashy line, but it was a solid one.
Anfernee Simons followed the script a little more closely. He was working through some rust after missing the preseason, but he still managed to put up 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting off the bench.
Eight of his shots came from three-point range, which tracks with the way he plays. He’s been a 38% shooter from deep for his career, and that volume from outside was part of the package on Tuesday.
Jaylen Brown looked every bit like a player ready to stamp his presence on a new team. He finished with 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting, plus eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block.
He also brought the defensive edge Philly wanted to see. With Tyrese Maxey the only player to get close to 30 points, Brown still looked locked in and active without needing to dominate the ball.
For one night, at least, the concerns about usage didn’t show up on the floor.
LeBron James was just as impactful in a different way. At 41, he isn’t chasing MVP talk anymore, but Philadelphia clearly needs his kind of decision-making in key moments.
He also gave the Sixers useful minutes as a small-ball center when Adem Bona and Jabari Walker’s combined 13 minutes didn’t do much. James played 34 minutes and posted 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block, doing a little of everything and nearly landing a triple-double.
There are obvious issues for Philadelphia to sort through, including the thin depth at center. The team also leaned on Tyrese Maxey for 40 minutes, with Joel Embiid and LeBron James’ supposed restriction seemingly out of the picture. Even so, the overall debut from the new group looked encouraging.
The next chance to build on that start comes Thursday, when the Sixers host the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first home game of the season.
In Other News...
76ers Already Have A Joel Embiid Problem They Couldnt Hide
The season opener offered a reminder that the 76ers biggest question may not be about their stars, but about what happens when Joel Embiid has to take a breather. Against the Knicks, Philadelphia looked exposed behind him as Adem Bona and Jabari Walker had a tough time dealing with Andre Drummond, a matchup that quickly turned into a problem the Sixers could not paper over for long. Injuries already have thinned the center group, and the team had to get creative just to survive stretches without its anchor in the paint.
Philadelphias depth chart at the position now feels like something worth watching closely, especially if the early-season rotation has to lean on stopgap answers more than expected. The Sixers can live with a lot when Embiid is on the floor, but the opener showed how quickly the matchup can tilt once he is not, and it left an obvious question hanging over the roster: whether this team will need to find more reliable help at center before those minutes decide a game again. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Nurse Still Has A Knicks Grudge The 76ers Havent Settled
The 76ers have already made their presence felt against New York once this season, walking out of Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 win that spoiled the Knicks ring and banner ceremony. For Philadelphia, it was more than just an early-season road victory. It was the kind of result that still carries some extra edge for a team that has spent time looking back at what happened against the Knicks in the playoffs.
Nick Nurse has not completely let go of that loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the frustration around it still lingers as the two teams measure themselves again. Philadelphia has also reworked its roster with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the mix, giving the club more ways to navigate the season if Joel Embiid misses time. Even so, the Knicks remain a familiar source of unfinished business for a coach who clearly has not moved on from the last postseason meeting. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Reopened An Uncomfortable 76ers Debate
Paul Georges first night in Boston looked a lot like the kind of performance the 76ers spent a season hoping to see more often. In the Celtics season opener, George poured in 38 points and added five rebounds, three assists and five steals, immediately looking like a player with more room to operate than he ever consistently found in Philadelphia. The fit was different from the start, with Boston putting him in a larger role and giving him the freedom to play like a primary option alongside Jayson Tatum.
For the 76ers, it reopened an uncomfortable question about what exactly went wrong during Georges time in Philadelphia. Injuries were part of the answer, but so were the team dynamics around him, which never seemed to let his game breathe in the way it did against his new backdrop. If this is the beginning of a resurgence, it only sharpens the sense that the Sixers may have watched a different version of George emerge just as he moved on. [Read more 🡒]