3 observations after Sixers blow out NZ Breakers in their preseason opener |Max Sporty|

3 observations after Sixers blow out NZ Breakers in their pre-season opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Within a few minutes, there was no doubt that the 2024-25 Sixers would start their preseason with an extremely decisive victory.

The team opened its preseason Monday night at Wells Fargo Center by coasting to a 139-84 victory over the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League.

Tyrese Maxey was among the Sixers’ many impact players, recording 15 first-quarter points on 5-for-7 shooting (4 for 5 from three-point range) and three assists.

Neither Joel Embiid nor Paul George have played as they speed up for the games that count. Both players were on the floor Monday morning after the Sixers’ shootaround.

The team’s second exhibition game will be Friday night against the Timberwolves in Des Moines, Iowa. Here are observations from their blowout win against the Breakers:

Drummond letting them fly

Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond slid into the Sixers’ starting lineup. True to form, Drummond was especially interesting to watch.

He scored the first ring of the game, finishing inside Maxey’s successful feed. Gordon became the fifth Sixers starter on the board when he drained a three-pointer after a Drummond offensive board. The great talent disparity between the teams was immediately apparent; A Maxey triple grew the Sixers’ lead to 13-1.

Drummond then got into the three-point fun, drilling a catch-and-shoot jumper from the left corner.

The last time Drummond made a regular season three was on February 24, 2020. It seems pretty unlikely that he’ll develop into a major shooting threat, but he’s clearly worked on his jumper and is ready to shoot in plays when left out wide. – open He tried another later in the first quarter and missed it.

Drummond played the first seven minutes and change of the night, posting five points and five rebounds in his starting stint. On a less positive note, he was called for two early fouls. Drummond likes to poke and look for forced turnovers, which is a trait that the Sixers’ Nick Nurse will likely tolerate more than the average head coach.

Maxey and McCain’s shooting

Maxey’s outing was exactly what you’d expect from that All-Star on the floor.

He played the entire first period and was fast, shifty and impossible for the Breakers to stop. The fifth-year guard struck a good balance between aggressive shot-making and spreading the ball to his teammates as well.

Jared McCain also knocked down 4 three pointers on 9 long range attempts.

In the second quarter, the rookie guard hit a step-back three and then canned two catch-and-shoot triples in a row. For a young player aiming to both impress and learn the professional gameit sure is a nice confidence-builder to see jumpers fall.

McCain’s night was mixed overall. He was 1 for 5 inside the arc and got beat a few times off the dribble defensively. In a team-high 28 minutes, the 20-year-old had 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Eye on the rotating image

Although Nurse on media day described Guerschon Yabusele as “not three and … not really five”, the 28-year-old French played in the center behind Drummond. He’s obviously a backup big man option.

Appearing in the NBA for the first time since 2019Yabusele had 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting and two assists.

“It’s special, just getting into the arena,” he said Monday morning of his NBA return. “It’s been great so far. I’m just enjoying it, trying to have as much fun as possible and learning to get better.”

Yabusele will likely play most of his minutes at power forward on full-strength nights for the Sixers. Regardless, he looks like a player who should be able to find points simply by running the floor and planting himself in the paint whenever he has a juicy crossover matchup. He should have some success as a hard runner off his screens as well.

Newcomer Adem Bona was the Sixers’ third-string center against the Breakers, playing in youth lineups with teammates like McCain, Justin Edwards and Lester Quinones.

Other rotating items of note:

Kyle Lowry shared the floor with Maxey for the final five or so minutes of the first quarter. The veteran notched five assists in his 10 first-half minutes.

KJ Martin played behind Caleb Martin as a backup power forward and chipped in six points, three rebounds and two steals. Nurse commented before the game that the Sixers have seen a big improvement from the 23-year-old Martin as a shooter since last season. He didn’t take any three-pointers on Monday, but we’ll soon see if that progress translates into games.

Ricky Council IV showed off his explosive athleticism to the tune of 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting and six rebounds. A highlight is always possible when he storms forward in the open floor.

Like KJ Martin, Council will hope to earn early season rotation time with strong preseason work.