76ers vs. Grizzlies: What to Expect From Sixers' First Scrimmage in Orlando

Author:
Justin Grasso
Publish date:
Jul 24, 2020 10:15 AM EDT

On Friday afternoon, the Philadelphia 76ers will play a basketball game against another NBA team for the first time since early March. Granted, the matchup won't count for anything just yet -- but the excitement to have the Sixers back in action since the NBA's season was suspended is high in Philadelphia.

Over the last couple of weeks, the Sixers have participated in what's basically a second training camp this season. As the team spent multiple months in quarantine without access to the facility in Camden, New Jersey, the NBA had no choice but to offer a few week's worth of practices to allow players to ramp up the action and get back into shape.

Part of the ramp-up process is a scrimmage schedule of three games with the first matchup being only ten minutes-per-quarter. On Friday, the Sixers' first exhibition matchup down in Orlando will be against the Memphis Grizzlies. Here's what to expect from the Sixers in game one.

How Long Will the 'Heavyweights' Play?

I've got good news, and I've got bad news. First, let's start with the good. Yes, the Sixers will, in fact, play their starters on Friday, barring any last-minute changes. That's good news. Now, onto the bad. Just like a preseason game, the starters won't get too much action -- especially for the first matchup.

Earlier this week, Brett Brown wouldn't reveal his minutes plan entirely for the starters. He did, however, confirm that his "heavyweights" are going to have a cap on their playing time. "I'm not going to play our heavyweights extended minutes in our exhibition games," Brown said earlier this week. "I suspect you're going to see somewhere in the 20-minute mark for my heavyweights."

Are the Sixers Going to Showcase the new lineup?

The story down in Orlando surrounding the Sixers has been the new starting five, which includes Shake Milton as the point guard and Ben Simmons as the power forward. This lineup hasn't played at all together this season.

Considering these guys haven't had the opportunity to build chemistry on the floor together, the new starting lineup should absolutely be utilized throughout the three meaningless games beginning on Friday. Simmons, Milton, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid probably won't see a ton of minutes, but the new lineup's debut will most likely occur against Memphis.

This year, Brett Brown attempted to make the front office proud by utilizing an awkward lineup, which featured two centers on the floor at the same time in Joel Embiid and Al Horford. As we know, it didn't work out that well. Therefore, Brown had Horford come off the bench to play as Embiid's backup instead.

The change didn't last long after some injuries occurred. Now that the Sixers are healthy once again, though, Brown is back to the lineup, which sends Horford back to the bench. And at this point in ramp-up season, Horford and Embiid have yet to share the floor together during team practices, according to Brown.

Does that mean the Horford-Embiid experiment is over with? Most likely -- but Horford isn't sure we've seen the last of the duo this year. "The reality is that it's going to happen at some point," Horford said in regards to sharing the court with Embiid. "I do understand the changes and things like that, but I don't want people to make more of this than what it is. The reality is that we'll be fine. We'll be playing together at times, and at times we won't."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_