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  • Sixers player preview: Is Trendon Watford going to be another valuable veteran’s minimum signing?

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    Welcome to our Sixers player preview series, where in the weeks leading up to Media Day we will preview the upcoming 2025-26 season for each and every member of the Sixers’ standard roster. For each player, we will pose two key questions about their season before making a prediction.

    The pressure is on after a miserable 24-58 campaign last season. After entering a year with championship aspirations and spending multiple months having to tank for the sake of a protected first-round pick, the Sixers have lost any and all benefit of the doubt that their signature season is finally coming.

    It is safe to say there is a whole lot of work to do on the Sixers’ end to prove the doubters wrong. Do they have a roster good enough to make it happen?

    Up next: Trendon Watford, the team’s lone external addition to its standard roster via free agency this summer. A close friend of Tyrese Maxey, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Watford possesses unique ball-handling and passing skills at power forward, giving him an opportunity to fill a new role within Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s offense. How high is the ceiling for the 24-year-old forward signed to a two-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum salary?

    SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS

    Jared McCain | Justin Edwards | VJ Edgecombe | Kyle Lowry | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Johni Broome | Adem Bona | Andre Drummond | Trendon Watford

    Can Watford form a dynamic two-man game with his close friend?

    Around this time last year, this question was being asked about another one of Maxey’s close friends: KJ Martin. Martin and Maxey had grown close off the floor, and entering last season Maxey announced his intention to create a lethal two-man game with the athletic forward. He went as far as to say he wanted to create a similar dynamic that James Harden and P.J. Tucker had.

    Now, it would be wise to expect that Maxey and Watford are eager to accentuate each other’s strengths on the court. Watford joked over the summer that he has only ever gotten to play against his friend. Now they can see what it looks like when both players are in the same uniform. Watford’s potential two-man game with Maxey will look different than Martin’s did – Martin is a far superior athlete, but not nearly as good of a passer – but as they try to form a reliable combination, there can be some examples drawn from the brief success Maxey and Martin had together

    Watford is a suspect three-point shooter (more on this later). If he plays himself into a critical role at power forward and Joel Embiid is available, Watford will often be the Sixers’ worst shooter on the floor. Defenses will leave him open a lot. The same was true for Martin, who found ways to leverage that for the benefit of others:

    While Martin utilized impressive short-roll passing chops and strong instincts during his time with the Sixers, Watford has a complete ball-handling repertoire. He is a true point forward who is going to initiate plenty of offense for the Sixers whenever he is on the floor.

    Being able to weaponize Maxey – and Jared McCain, for that matter – as off-ball scoring threats will go a long way for the Sixers on the offensive end of the floor. Those players can fly around screens and wait for Watford to find them, or they can curl around Watford for dribble hand-off actions like this one: 

    Maxey will not be the lone beneficiary of Watford’s unique skills, but he certainly figures to be the player Watford shares the floor with more than any other. The pairing has preexisting chemistry that could do it a whole lot of good.   

    MORE: Watford explains connection with Maxey, unique skills, more

    What will Watford provide offensively when he does not have the ball?

    Watford is clearly a gifted ball-handler at his size, and his full package of passing talents will provide value to this offense. But in order to really stick as a critical component of the rotation, he cannot be a liability away from the ball.

    In general, Watford has made enough of his open three-point attempts to avoid that status. But he has not made enough of those shots for anyone to feel good about his accuracy, and in his four-year NBA career Watford’s three-point volume has often been limited by his slow release:

    At the peak of Martin’s time with the Sixers, he had grown comfortable knocking down corner triples. It helped define his offensive role for many possessions within a game. Can Watford become similarly useful in that spot? He does not have tons of experience there in his career, but it should be the easiest region of the floor for him to find success spotting up:

    For any role player on a team full of ball-dominant, high-usage players, the ability to make catch-and-shoot three-pointers is just going to be crucial no matter what. There is no doubt that Watford’s significant ball skills give him greater margin for error as a three-point shooter, but in order to play important minutes in extremely competitive games he is going to have to prove capable of making defenses pay for ignoring him.

    MORE: Trendon Watford full film study

    Prediction

    Watford does not profile as a long-term starter with the Sixers, but he plays well enough to establish himself as a helpful rotation piece. As a result, the Sixers pick up his $2.8 million team option for the 2026-27 season with zero hesitation. 

    Watford very well could get a healthy number of starts at the four in 2025-26, but that’s much more of a reflection on the team’s lack of a firm option at the position than Watford’s own ability. And while the guess here is that Watford proves to be a keeper in Philadelphia thanks to his outstanding ball-handling and passing skill at his size, it is likely not wise to bank on Watford being the team’s long-term solution at power forward.

    To be clear: That is completely fine. If Watford ends up good enough to be at the back end of a rotation, the Sixers’ commitment to him will have paid off in spades. Finding a player even occasionally viable of logging rotation minutes on a two-year minimum deal – Watford’s deal also contains a team option for the second season, ensuring the Sixers will not lose him after one year like they did Guerschon Yabusele – is a massive win every single time.

    Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey takes a whole lot of criticism these days; plenty of it is earned. But his track record of success with minimum signings since arriving in Philadelphia is outstanding, and given the makeup of their cap sheet the Sixers must continue hitting on players like they did with Yabusele at the bottom of the market in free agency. Will Watford be their latest diamond in the rough?

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Instant observations: Sixers suffer brutal loss to Raptors, fall to 0-2

    Instant observations: Sixers suffer brutal loss to Raptors, fall to 0-2

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    Looking to rebound after an opening night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, the Sixers traveled to Toronto for a Friday night battle against the rebuilding Raptors in hopes of nabbing their first win of the season. In Nick Nurse’s return to Toronto — where he won an NBA title as a rookie head coach — he made two significant early changes. One of those changes involved Kyle Lowry, considered by most to be the greatest Raptor of all time.

    In their second game of the season, the Sixers looked the part of a group of players figuring out how to coexist with one another — much more than they did against Milwaukee. An incredibly disjointed first half had them off to a shaky start, and in the second half a few brief spurts were overtaken by Raptors runs. Suddenly, the Sixers are 0-2.

    Here is what stood out from a putrid 115-107 Sixers loss.

    MORE: Lowry and Nurse’s Toronto legacies

    Nurse makes a pair of starting lineup changes

    Initially, Lowry was supposed to be the Sixers’ third guard when he joined the team late in 2023-24, but was quickly forced into an outsized role at the team’s starting shooting guard. Nurse confirmed at the team’s Media Day last month that Lowry would likely not have as significant of a role in his first full season with the team.

    Lowry came off the bench in all of his preseason appearances and did so on Wednesday night. Fellow veteran Eric Gordon earned ownership of the starting shooting guard spot that Lowry had vacated, while KJ Martin filled in for the injured Paul George and Caleb Martin was expected to log plenty of minutes off the bench.

    Lowry played well on Wednesday night, while Caleb Martin was likely the Sixers’ best player on the floor in his debut with the team. And Nurse wasted no time inserting the former teammates into his starting lineup around Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond, with Gordon and KJ Martin moving to the bench.

    Nurse’s Martin-for-Martin swap was not a huge surprise. Caleb Martin played more than 37 minutes off the bench — more than any Sixer other than Maxey — and if he is going to continue to shoulder that sort of workload, it becomes a bit trickier to find all of those minutes for him when he does not play for the first handful of minutes of the game. 

    The decision to replace Gordon with Lowry, though, came as a larger surprise. Gordon had a poor outing in his Sixers debut, failing to connect from beyond the arc and only making one of his four shot attempts from inside the arc. Nurse seemed to have plenty of conviction during the preseason that Gordon being part of the starting unit provided valuable floor spacing — enough that even Gordon being usurped by Lowry, a famous Nurse favorite, was surprising this early in the season.

    Paul George injury update

    Speaking of George, the nine-time All-Star’s Sixers debut will not happen this weekend. George is out for the Sixers’ Sunday afternoon contest against the Pacers in Indiana and will be re-evaluated soon after, the Sixers said on Thursday evening.

    “George continues progressing well in his recovery from a left knee bone bruise,” the Sixers said. “He will not play during the team’s two-game road trip and an update on his availability is expected early next week.”

    Center rotation unravels early, but Maxey gets off to hot start thanks to help from one new teammate

    Drummond, who committed five fouls in 25 minutes on Wednesday night, had to check out after just over three minutes of action in this one. Maintaining defensive discipline is always important for a center, but Drummond needs to be particularly cognizant when Joel Embiid is sidelined that he must remain available to play heavy minutes.

    Replacing Drummond was the Sixers’ temporary backup center, Guerschon Yabusele, who set a couple of mean screens to free up Maxey for a pair of triples from the right wing. Maxey also converted an and-one and had a few gorgeous assists in the first quarter, a major improvement from a poor opening frame against Milwaukee.

    Yabusele quickly got into foul trouble as well, though — and by the 4:22 mark of the first quarter, Nurse was using his third center of the game. KJ Martin slid up to the five, a spot where he was occasionally used down the stretch last season. The fifth-year athletic chess piece blocked a shot early on in his stint at center, and a moment later had a strong one-on-one stand on the block against center Bruno Fernando which led to a basket on the other end for him.

    Then, another genuine surprise: the insertion of rookie Adem Bona, who had not been expected to see regular minutes at any point in the near future. Bona, the Sixers’ fourth center of the opening frame, has plenty of work to do limiting his own fouling — and on his first defensive possession of the night, he fouled Raptors All-Star point forward Scottie Barnes on a drive to the basket.

    With the chance to make a pair of offensive-oriented substitutions near the end of the quarter, Nurse pulled Bona and KJ Martin for Maxey and Ricky Council IV. Four seconds later, Maxey had drawn a foul, and KJ Martin returned for a defensive stand. The whole thing made for a wild ride:

    Somehow, the Sixers ended up leading Toronto, 31-30, after the conclusion of the first quarter. Maxey’s 13 points and four assists were both game-highs.

    Fouling issues continue to plague Sixers, but rim pressure helps ease the blow

    In addition to Drummond’s five fouls against the Bucks, Yabusele fouled out, Oubre collected five fouls, and both Martins had four fouls (and KJ only saw 15 minutes of action).

    The Sixers’ inability to stay out of foul trouble only escalated in the first half of this one. In addition to Drummond and Yabusele, Caleb Martin also picked up a pair of fouls in the first quarter. Caleb Martin, Yabusele and Lowry each had three around the midway point of the second quarter.

    Early returns on the Sixers’ bets on athleticism and positional versatility outweighing frame and muscle have been noticeably poor, as a team suddenly without a Goliath in Embiid is being physically overwhelmed. It is far too soon to make any declarative statements about the viability of the Sixers’ mostly-undersized roster, particularly given the noteworthy talents that have been unavailable through their first pair of games, but this is certainly something to keep an eye on.

    On the bright side, the Sixers were able to bait Toronto into committing the same amount of fouls before intermission — 15 — and shot nearly as many free throws as the Raptors. Maxey led the way, knocking down all seven of his free throws. Drummond drew three fouls, but only made two out of six attempts at the line.

    All of the whistles led to one of the longer halves of October basketball you will see. Toronto was much more efficient from the field, paving the way for a 62-56 Raptors lead at intermission.

    Oubre opens third quarter strong, Sixers run follows

    The Sixers were desperate for some juice on both ends of the floor in the second half, Oubre who gave it to them right off the bat. The fan favorite swingman took a charge, knocked down a step-back mid-range jumper, forced a backcourt violation, threw a perfect alley-oop pass to Drummond and connected on a floater, all in the span of about two and a half minutes.

    For the time being, though, Oubre’s excellent sequence of two-way action did not power a Sixers surge, it merely kept them afloat. In fact, Toronto’s lead actually increased from its standing at halftime during Oubre’s strong 6:37 of action to begin the third quarter.

    Coincidentally, the Sixers were able to make inroads on Toronto’s lead after Oubre went to the bench. Gordon knocked down his first triple as a Sixer, Yabusele converted an and-one, and suddenly the Sixers were within a few baskets. Their defense is what led their charge back into the game, as they held the Raptors to just 21 points in the frame.

    Toronto’s lead was trimmed to two points with a few moments left in the third quarter, but the Sixers made too many mistakes offensively. The Raptors were able to extent their lead to six points heading into the fourth quarter. Among the lowlights were consecutive tough breaks for Council, who did not know where to be to begin a possession that devolved into a Gordon-Yabusele pick-and-roll, leading to a turnover. The second-year wing missed a wide open three-point attempt the next time down the floor.

    Raptors open final frame on major run

    The Sixers needed to make a strong push to begin the fourth quarter in Toronto. They did the opposite, watching as the Raptors jumped out to a 15-2 run in just under five minutes of play. It was a complete catastrophe for the Sixers, who appear to be doing nothing particularly well on either end of the floor through a pair of games.

    The most troubling aspect of the Sixers’ losses — particularly Friday night’s no-show…

    Maxey can’t get things going offensively

    Maxey is an All-Star point guard with an extensive track record of being a terrific offensive player, but the Sixers are going to need him to score efficiently when Embiid and George are sidelined. The team’s aggressiveness in managing Embiid’s workload has already become a source of tremendous controversy; George will experience lighter monitoring but still not necessarily be available on a nightly basis during the regular season. All of that heightens the importance of Maxey’s efficiency as the focal point.

    During his NBA career, Maxey has displayed remarkable stamina, which has enabled him to log massive minutes totals. But that is even more taxing when you are the team’s only consistent perimeter scorer and not exactly in midseason form with the season just having started.

    Maxey’s 10-for-31 shooting performance against Milwaukee was a tough watch, but he was the victim of many bad bounces on shots that usually fall. In this one, he posted one of the worst shooting performances of his career — and most of his misses were not even close. Maxey also looked exhausted for much of the second half, missing plenty of shots well short — including an airball — and getting beat on multiple back cuts where he just fell asleep.

    The final shooting line in this one for Maxey: 6-for-23. Simply put, the Sixers will need him to be a whole lot better moving forward.

    Up next: The Sixers finish up a quick, two-game road trip on Sunday afternoon when they face the Pacers. They will then return home for a pair of contests before heading out on a West Coast trip.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Instant observations: Undermanned Sixers drop season opener to red-hot Bucks

    Instant observations: Undermanned Sixers drop season opener to red-hot Bucks

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    Finally, the Sixers began their season Wednesday night, playing host to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were without Khris Middleton, but the Sixers experienced far greater losses in Joel Embiid and Paul George.

    Right off the bat, a revamped Sixers roster led by head coach Nick Nurse had its depth tested. An upset win for the Sixers would have lifted spirits, but Lillard and co. had different ideas. Milwaukee was on the money from beyond the arc all night long, and the Sixers could not muster enough offense to match.

    Here is what stood out from the Sixers’ 124-109 loss, dropping them to 0-1 on the young season:

    Nurse goes with Eric Gordon and KJ Martin in his starting five

    Gordon became the clear favorite to start over Caleb Martin midway through the preseason — Nurse is excited about the floor spacing Gordon can provide that unit and thinks Caleb Martin can give bench lineups a necessary infusion of energy. Nurse said before the game that Martin is “clearly” one of the team’s five best players and that his minutes would reflect that.

    With George out, Nurse opted to go with KJ Martin, who has impressed and looked considerably more comfortable during all of training camp and preseason. Martin is a remarkable athlete, which lends itself to Nurse’s renewed emphasis on pushing the pace. The fifth-year wing serves as a quality defender across at least three positions and has become an impressive passer and decision-maker in short-roll situations. Whether or not KJ Martin can consistently knock down open threes moving forward will determine his long-term fate; he spent the summer working with a shooting coach and refined his hand placement in hopes of seeing better results.

    Early jitters on both sides to open season

    The first timeout of the game came about halfway through the first quarter, with the score knotted at 10. The teams shot a combined 7-24 from the field during that opening burst, including Tyrese Maxey knocking down his first look — a three — before missing his next five shot attempts.

    Elsewhere, Andre Drummond was dominant on the glass early, pulling six rebounds and turning one of his offensive boards into a bucket. Caleb Martin came off the bench a bit earlier than anticipated when Antetokounmpo got KJ Martin in foul trouble and immediately did exactly what Nurse said he hoped to see the former Heat wing do: crash the glass. Antetokounmpo failed to box out, and Caleb Martin turned it into a layup for Oubre. Caleb Martin’s offensive rebounding stood out early, an extremely encouraging sign for Nurse.

    As the Sixers’ primary scoring options, Maxey and Oubre were struggling early to put the ball in the basket, but strong defense from the Sixers — including an Antetokounmpo transition turnover forced by Gordon — made up for it.

    Some rotation questions answered

    The first substitution of the season was the aforementioned swap of Martins, but the next reserve to check in was Guerschon Yabusele. Yabusele replaced Oubre, allowing him to log a few minutes at power forward before Oubre returned to replace Drummond, sliding Yabusele up to the five.

    Yabusele’s first NBA shot attempt in many years was a wide open corner three, and he cashed it.

    As expected, Kyle Lowry checked in as well, replacing Gordon. Nurse will still have Maxey and Lowry share the floor a decent bit; he prefers having as many ball-handlers on the floor at once as possible.

    The one surprise was that Nurse opted to go with an eight-man rotation in the first half, choosing to not play any of his deeper reserves — most notably rookie Jared McCain. 

    Maxey shows aggression early

    Whenever Embiid and George are out — and that may not be an infrequent occurrence — the Sixers need Maxey to be as aggressive as possible scoring the ball. Nurse has spent the entirety of his time in Philadelphia getting on Maxey, telling the All-Star point guard that he can continue to increase his scoring volume.

    Maxey only shot 3-11 from the field in the first quarter, but just that amount of shot attempts alone is exactly what Nurse continues to long for on a consistent basis.

    To top it off, Maxey gave the Sixers a 23-22 lead at the first-quarter buzzer after putting together a nasty series of moves.

    Ultimately, the Sixers’ early offense looked like that of a team with several new pieces that was missing an MVP candidate and a nine-time All-Star. This is all a work in progress.

    Another note on Maxey: it was clear that a focus for him during the offseason was regaining the sort of comfort in between the three-point line and restricted area that he had when he first entered the league, and he had quite a few shot attempts in the mid-range area early on, including this floater:

    Maxey was far too reliant on his floater when he entered the NBA, but abandoning it entirely was not necessarily the ideal pivot. Perhaps it will return to his arsenal in his fifth professional season.

    Bucks make a run to end first half

    The last several minutes of the second quarter were not kind to the Sixers. First, their offense stagnated — predictably, this was most apparent while Maxey rested — then they finally strung together some strong offensive possessions but saw Milwaukee get hot from beyond the arc. 

    Perhaps a larger issue was the Sixers repeatedly committing fouls on the defensive end. By the time intermission had arrived, Drummond, KJ Martin and Oubre each had three fouls, while Yabusele — who banked in a shot to beat the second-quarter buzzer — had two.

    The Sixers have made a calculated risk in embracing athleticism and positional versatility instead of size and strength. That trade-off provides plenty of positive results, but it also makes them susceptible to the occasional bully-ball bucket or easy foul-drawing against a team like Milwaukee that has tremendous muscle across the board.

    In addition to Antetokounmpo posting 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists in just 15 first-half minutes, Bobby Portis torched the Sixers’ second unit to the tune of 13 points, three rebounds and three assists in the game’s opening 24 minutes.

    MORE: NBA to investigate Sixers re: Joel Embiid

    Looking for a spark, Nurse goes to Ricky Council IV, but Milwaukee push persists

    By the halfway point of the third quarter, boos were beginning to get louder in South Philadelphia as the Bucks continued to rain triples. Milwaukee increased its lead to 18, and Nurse decided to try changing the pace of the game a bit by going to Ricky Council IV. Council did not do enough during training camp and preseason to earn a regular rotation role, but the Sixers still see real potential with the second-year wing. At the moment, this role is probably his optimal one: not a player who is relied on for nightly contributions, but is around when the energy needs to shift.

    There was a moment when the building had juice again — Yabsuele converted an and-one thanks to a great dish from Lowry, and the Sixers forced a Bucks turnover. But Maxey was blocked at the rim by Brook Lopez and Lillard drew a foul, then Yabusele got called for a moving screen and Lillard knocked down his fifth triple of the night. Suddenly, Milwaukee’s lead was back up to 17.

    For what it’s worth, Council did knock down a three on his first shot attempt of the season, a spot-up attempt from the left wing. A barrage of Lillard threes came before it, though, putting the Sixers in a major hole.

    Sixers struggle at the free throw line

    The Sixers led the NBA in free throws made per game while also being second-best in free throw percentage in 2023-24, but that is powered by a legendary foul-drawer in Embiid. On Wednesday night, they struggled at the line. By the time the third quarter was over, they had already missed eight free throws (15-23).

    When you are short-handed to the degree the Sixers were without Embiid and George and you are facing a team that is red-hot from beyond the arc, there is no margin for error at the free throw line. This is not exactly an indicator of a long-term problem, but it is a frustrating one to deal with when so many things are already working against a team.

    Strong night for Sixers bench

    There was not a ton to be excited about from an offensive perspective for the Sixers for much of this game, but they did see three reserves give them healthy doses of scoring. Caleb Martin and Yabusele were each in double-figures while also playing strong defense and doing a little bit of everything else, while Lowry was a calming presence with his ball-handling, passing and three-point shooting.

    Too often, the Sixers were unable to play quality offense for more than a few possessions in a row, but their best spurts on that end of the floor came when Lowry was in the game. 

    A wild stat on Lowry’s longevity, courtesy of the Sixers:

    Lowry is a future Hall of Fame inductee, and it is pretty cool that the Philadelphia native and Villanova product could end his playing career with his hometown team.

    Despite a valiant effort, Sixers have too little too late

    The Sixers were able to make a few brief runs in the fourth quarter, but Maxey’s subpar performance in combination with Milwaukee’s three-point excellence and the Sixers’ lack of offensive firepower beyond their All-Star point guard was enough for plenty of folks to be hitting the exits with four minutes or so left in the game.

    There was a decent amount to like from the short-handed Sixers, but a whole lot more to be concerned about.

    Up next: The Sixers will travel to Toronto, where they have a Friday night matchup against the rebuilding Raptors. 

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Instant observations: Sixers fly high in preseason victory over Nets

    Instant observations: Sixers fly high in preseason victory over Nets

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    In their penultimate preseason exhibition, the Sixers played host to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Joel Embiid and Paul George were out of commission, as Embiid continues to work on the management of his left knee and George begins recovering from his left knee bone bruise. Kyle Lowry was in street clothes as well, as the veteran point guard was given the night off. For Brooklyn, Ben Simmons rested as well.

    Here is what jumped out from the Sixers’ 117-95 win/loss in their second and final home preseason game on Wednesday night:

    First Quarter

    • After making a change to his starting lineup before Monday night’s game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said he would alter his opening five again — and replacing George was KJ Martin, playing alongside Tyrese Maxey, Eric Gordon, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond.

    Once again, Nurse is signaling that he prefers to use wing Caleb Martin — who was expected to start at power forward for the Sixers — in a bench role. Caleb Martin often thrived as a reserve during his successful three-year stint with the Miami Heat, and Nurse believes he provides what the Sixers need in their second unit.

    “[Caleb Martin] is going to give us some energy off the bench, which I thought we lacked in the previous games, so we’re trying to solve that equation a little bit,” Nurse said after Tuesday’s practice. “It splits up Kyle [Lowry] and Eric [Gordon], which is also part of the plan. Just kind of maneuvering through different looks. And I think it’ll be pretty fluid as we go for a while.”

    Ultimately, how many minutes each player receives — and which ones are on the floor at the ends of close games — are far more important issues than which ones start. Expect the situation to evolve throughout the season.

    • Speaking of Gordon, it is becoming extremely apparent why Nurse likes the idea of the veteran sharpshooter being in his starting five. Gordon is one of the most accomplished three-point shooters of all time, and his reputation as a willing launcher carries serious weight when opposing defenses gameplan for any team he is part of. Gordon knocked down a pair of triples within five minutes and change of tip-off, and what stood out on each one was his complete lack of hesitation. Unlike many players who boast similar shooting skills, Gordon is perfectly happy to fire away every time down the floor if the opportunities present themselves.

    Moments later, Gordon read Nets guard Cam Thomas’ eyes perfectly and stole what Thomas thought would be a simple pass. Gordon ignited a transition possession and finished at the rim.

    •  The best highlight of the first quarter on Wednesday: Maxey throwing a transition lob so appetizing that Oubre and KJ Martin both went up looking to hammer home an alley-oop dunk. Oubre ended up the winner, and essentially dunked on his own teammate. Brooklyn called timeout, and Oubre and the rest of KJ Martin’s teammates playfully mocked him for getting posterized.

    Moments later, though, KJ Martin was able to get in on the fun, throwing down an alley-oop pass from Maxey in a half-court setting. He caught Thomas sleeping and took off in the direction of the basket. Maxey found him instantly:

    KJ Martin is a remarkable athlete, and during his minutes with the Sixers last season his abilities to display that were limited. Asked about Nurse placing an emphasis on playing at a fast pace in the 2024-25 season after the team’s shootaround on Wednesday morning, the fifth-year forward lit up.

    “It’s fun for me,” Martin said. “I love running down the floor and being able to jump… Especially with Tyrese in the game, we talk a lot, trying to bring the pace of the game up.”

    MORE: Sixers player preview: Is KJ Martin more than a trade chip?

    Second Quarter

    • Oubre’s three-point stroke came and went for much of his first season in Philadelphia, as his accuracy from beyond the arc fluctuated wildly. His most reliable skill on that end of the floor is his ability to pressure the rim. His finishing once he gets near the basket is imperfect, but he is terrific at getting a downhill start towards the restricted area. That was on full display Wednesday, as Oubre attempted seven free throws in the first half. He had everything working offensively, and it all stems from his driving ability. After establishing that he could get to the rim at will, Oubre knocked down a pair of pull-up triple when a Brooklyn defender felt the need to sag off in preparation for a drive. 

    • Guerschon Yabusele has impressed in the preseason, but the overwhelming majority of his minutes have come at center. Yabusele said after Tuesday’s practice that playing the five was not part of the role the Sixers had pitched to him when he signed with the team, but that he was comfortable playing anywhere. Nurse admitted before Wednesday’s game that the arrangement has largely been used out of necessity, as Embiid has not appeared in the preseason (and will not do so). 

    Nurse said that while he has seen more than enough to be comfortable using Yabusele as a small-ball center, he wishes he had more of a sample using the French Olympic standout at power forward, his natural position. Nurse indicated that Yabusele would see time at the four on Wednesday, and he did spend just over two minutes playing alongside Drummond near the end of the first half.

    Yabusele ended the first half on a high note, intercepting an inbounds pass from under the Sixers’ basket and driving to the rim for a two-handed slam that just barely beat the buzzer.

    MORE: Sixers player preview: Can Guerschon Yabusele leave a mark in his second NBA opportunity?

    • An interesting note: Brooklyn attempted 31 three-pointers in the first half, a gargantuan total. In the 2023-24 regular season, the Celtics led all NBA teams with 42.5 three-point attempts per game. 

    Third Quarter

    • It felt as if the Sixers left some meat on the bone in terms of attempting corner threes last season, but they did knock down a pair of corner triples early in the third quarter. On the team’s first offensive possession of the second half, Yabusele freed himself up in transition and drilled a shot from the right corner. A few moments later, Ricky Council IV connected from the opposite corner off of an assist from Jared McCain.

    After a strong preseason debut, Council has struggled as far as impressing during these exhibitions. It seems far-fetched that the second-year wing will be in Nurse’s regular rotation to begin the season, but the potential that exists with the fan favorite remains obvious. 

    • Speaking of McCain, the rookie first-round pick received first quarter minutes on Wednesday — and given Gordon’s apparent status as a starter, if George misses any time in the regular season, McCain being part of Nurse’s second unit seems increasingly likely. It does not sound like George is at risk of missing a considerable amount of games to begin the season, but he certainly is not a lock to be on the floor on Oct. 23 when the Milwaukee Bucks come to town.

    MORE: Sixers say Paul George has bone bruise but no structural damage, will be re-evaluated in approximately one week

    • Two-way guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. entered to open the second half and had a few strong flashes of self-creation. 

    Dowtin is a serviceable shooter, not a great one, and only has okay burst, but manages to thrive in isolation opportunities thanks to an interesting mix of dribble moves and changes of pace. 

    Fourth Quarter

    • McCain returned to the game to begin its final frame with an opportunity to serve as the Sixers’ primary ball-handler. He knocked down a picture-perfect triple, and on the next possession drove to the basket and kicked it out to two-way guard Lester Quinones for a three of his own.

    • Far and away the best highlight of the second half came a few minutes into the fourth quarter. McCain got beat off the dribble, but his draft classmate Adem Bona came to his aid with a stellar block of veteran point guard Dennis Schröder. Dowtin led the Sixers in transition and dished out a gorgeous no-look dime to rookie two-way wing Justin Edwards for an easy slam. It was about as exciting of a play as you will find in the fourth quarter of a preseason game.

    • All in all, this was a strong showing for much of the Sixers’ roster — including depth pieces like Dowtin, Quinones, Edwards and Bona outperforming many of Brooklyn’s regular rotation players who remained in the game down the stretch. But the night ended on a bit of a sour note, when McCain took a hard fall and appeared to be in an immense amount of pain. After a moment, McCain was able to sit up, and after another minute he was on his feet being helped to the locker room.

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    Adam Aaronson

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