Hey look at that, basketball’s back!
The Sixers kicked off their 2024 preseason against the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League Monday night, knocking them off by a score of 139-84.
Tyrese Maxey, Guerschon Yabusele, Jared McCain, and Reggie Jackson all led the Sixers in scoring with 15 points apiece.
Ricky Council IV finished with 13 points and Andre Drummond finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
While the matchup gave us a new look at several new and returning Sixers, there were some notable absences. Paul George and Joel Embiid were both ruled out pregame, according to Nick Nurse.
As always, here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
- Preseason hoops are always going to be sloppy, but this one took forever to get out of the gate. Sixer legend Jonah Bolden had to go the bench a minute and a half in due to foul trouble. Meanwhile, the Sixers put the Breakers in the bonus just five minutes into the game.
- Unsurprisingly, the Sixers were able to cruise from the start due to the gap in talent. Andre Drummond was able to grab just about every rebound in his area. Maxey quietly shot the lights out in the quarter, putting up 15 points, shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Even Drummond was able to show off the work he’s put into his three-point shot in the offseason.
- It was interesting to see Kyle Lowry and Yabusele as the first guys Nurse brought off the bench — even more so to see Yabusele sub in for Drummond and slide down to the five. He looked alright down there, finishing a pass off a roll from Lowry and sealing his man for a transition layup a few moments later. The Sixers led by 21 after the opening frame.
Second Quarter
- Jared McCain had a much better start to his preseason than his summer league. He missed his first jump shot attempt, but went on to make his next three, all from behind the three-point line. One of those makes was a Nic Batum-style no-dip three, something McCain practices a lot as well.
- Another young Sixer who started the second well was Ricky Council IV. Fittingly, his first basket of the game was an and-1 in transition. He went on to have a couple exciting fast break dunks, as well as knocking down his lone three-point attempt of the half.
- Whether it was finding a cutting KJ Martin at the basket, or just using his size to get himself a layup, Yabusele had some really good moments in the short roll. It probably is notable that Nurse went with both him and Martin at the five as opposed to rookie Adem Bona. The Sixers took a 37-point lead into the half.
Third Quarter
- Reggie Jackson was the last veteran to check in, and he did so for the first time tonight to start the second half. Like the rest of the team, he shot it very well, putting up 15 points in the quarter with some flashy crossovers to keep the crowd entertained.
- He still has to do it against NBA competition, but tonight showed why so many called Yabusele an X-factor signing. He finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including a three-ball. How he looks against a much larger team in Minnesota on Friday will be interesting.
- More new guys started to trickle in as Bona and fresh two-way signing Lester Quinones checked in about halfway though the quarter. Justin Edwards, another two-way, came into the game about a minute later. Bona got a layup that turned into an and-1, and Edwards had a transition layup as the Sixers lead ballooned to 45 after three.
Fourth Quarter
- The new arrivals continued to contribute up and down the board. McCain knocked down another three, his first of the second half. Bona had a really nice offensive rebound and put-back dunk. Quinones blocked a pull-up jumper and finished the play in transition.
- The last four Sixers to see the floor tonight were Judah Mintz, Jordan Tucker, Max Fiedler and Isaiah Mobley, all signed to training camp deals. It’s cool to see Tucker get that chance after spending his last two summer leagues with the Sixers. He stepped into his first three-point attempt and knocked it down.
- The Sixers aren’t in action again until the end of the week, but when they are, it’ll be against NBA competition. They’ll play the Timberwolves Friday night in Iowa at 7 p.m. ET.
