New season, same score. The Sixers got their preseason underway on Tuesday night in the nation’s capital, but they couldn’t stop a Washington Wizards three-point barrage. A two-point game at halftime, the Wizards blew the doors off the Sixers in the final 24 minutes and ended up winning, 129-95.
In total, the Sixers gave 13 players over six minutes of action. Unsurprisingly, the offense was especially sloppy when Brett Brown went deep into his bench. Dios mío at the plus-minus for the reserves:
The Sixers finished with a whopping 23 turnovers to 22 assists. Here’s what I saw:
1. Jahlil Okafor went 4-4 from the field in the first quarter, but they were all toughies. The rookie was matched up against Marcin Gortat, and he wasn’t really able to establish deep post position against the Polish Hammer. That he was able to knock down all four shots is a testament to Okafor’s shot-making ability. This is good stuff:
Check out how far from the basket Okafor is catching the ball on some of these post-ups:
We are still learning what “Jahlil Okafor, NBA Player” looks like, but the post position was an issue in the summer as well. It will be something to monitor going forward.
2. All that said, this was a strong debut for Okafor. Despite the aforementioned issues, he made all sorts of shots over Gortat, finishing with 12 points on 6-10 shooting. I also was impressed by his pick-and-roll defense, hanging back near the rim like a Tom Thibodeau big. As planned, Okafor only played 17 minutes but his energy level was high. On one possession, he did a nice job running the floor and getting a bucket in transition.
3. Brett Brown said there would be “a fist fight” in Stockton for the Sixers’ three point guard spots, and that position is literally beaten up. Only two floor generals were healthy for the first game in Washington.
Predictably, Isaiah Canaan and Scottie Wilbekin really struggled to keep John Wall and Ramon Sessions out of the paint. Physically, those guys are just more athletic and stronger. Lil’ Sip had three ugly turnovers, but he finished with 13 points (5-10 shooting) and six dimes.
4. When Drew Gooden (.27 3P% for his career) and Kris Humphries (literally, two career threes) are combining to go 4-8 from deep, there is an element of “What can you do?” But the Sixers didn’t guard the arc at all, as Washington shot 15-26 (58%) from three-point land.
Some of that is due to Wall’s brilliance in transition, which everyone is susceptible to. Some of it is the Sixers going with a 13-man rotation. But the Sixers’ perimeter defense is certainly a concern heading into the season, especially because Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was so good on that end of the floor for them last year.
What also stood out is Nerlens Noel making mistakes in finding Gooden and Humphries in transition. Again, these guys are not exactly thought of as stretch-4s, but it’s notable how Noel runs straight to the rim in transition. It’s what he’s comfortable doing, after all. The Sixers were burnt a couple times tonight because of it.
5. Bad news for Pappy Jack. Brown announced after the game that Pierre Jackson’s groin would keep him out longer than even Kendall Marshall. That would mean Jackson is at least out for all of training camp. Tweets courtesy of Calkins Media’s Tom Moore:
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann