3 Players to Watch in Sixers' Preseason Opener vs. Celtics

Basketball season is finally here! Well, sort of.

While Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics won’t count for anything, it serves as a good opportunity for the players to get back into the swing of things while offering hoops fans a chance to see their team’s new additions in action.

The 2023-2024 season should look a whole lot different for the Sixers. After having the veteran head coach Doc Rivers run the show for the last three seasons, the Sixers are getting a fresh start with former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.

In 2019, Nurse quickly made a name for himself in the NBA as he helped coach the Raptors to their first championship win in the organization’s history. As a rookie head coach in the NBA, Nurse immediately jumped to becoming one of the most-praised leaders in the league.

While he didn’t follow up with another title in the following four seasons with the Raptors, Nurse inherits a talented roster in Philadelphia. Soon, the Sixers will get a look at their stars and core players in action together later this month when the regular season begins.

On Sunday, all eyes will be on players who are outside of the All-Star bracket — and even some who may be outside of the rotation. When the Sixers and the Celtics begin their preseason runs at 6 PM on Sunday, here are a few players to keep an eye on.

3 Key Players to Watch vs. Celtics

1. Tyrese Maxey

By now, the entire league knows who Tyrese Maxey is. While some veterans are still getting familiar with the young guard, and are even shocked by how talented he truly is when they play alongside him, Maxey is still a mystery in some way.

How high is the former first-round pick’s ceiling? That’s the biggest question mark surrounding the Kentucky product. During his rookie year, Maxey was in and out of the Sixers’ rotation, struggling with his shot and relying on a floater. By year two, he was a full-time starter by default due to Ben Simmons’s infamous holdout. But by the time that situation got solved, Maxey was too good to send to the bench. So, he played alongside a ten-time All-Star in James Harden.

Doc Rivers tweaked Maxey’s role a bit in year three, complicating the idea that Maxey’s a true starter rather than a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Once Rivers flipped back to having Maxey play as a starter, those questions went away. Maxey is a starter in the NBA, and he just might be on the path to unlocking an All-Star badge.

With Nick Nurse being willing to step out of the box and try new things on the fly, he could be the factor in unlocking another level for Maxey, who’s developed further in each of the last three seasons. The Sixers are expected to eliminate the offensive pecking order of who gets to score the points by default and will rely on swift ball movement, which will simply benefit the open man.

For a guard with fast movement and a quick trigger like Maxey, the emerging star might benefit from Nurse’s strategy the most.

If Maxey gets the nod to play on Sunday, it will be interesting to see how he benefits from the new system in the early stages of the offseason. Plus, he’s looking to take a positive step with his playmaking as well. Assuming James Harden doesn’t play on Sunday, Maxey would likely take over starting ball-handler duties if he does suit up.

2. Jaden Springer

After spending the last two seasons mostly as a G Leaguer, it’s time for Jaden Springer to prove he belongs on the main roster. The former five-star Tennessee guard landed in a tough situation when he was drafted 28th overall by the 76ers.

Typically, late first-round picks benefit from landing on young, up-and-coming teams, as they tend to get rotational minutes early on in their career, so when they reach year three, they have enough experience to hopefully make an impact. For Springer, he landed on a top team in the Eastern Conference that’s sure to make the playoffs.

His career has so far turned out as you would expect. Two years in, Springer has just 18 games under his belt. He’s averaged five minutes on the court and has taken just 36 shots from the field, five of which from beyond the arc.

The preseason is absolutely crucial to Springer. These are the games that can help him not only avoid the daily back-and-forth assignments between Philadelphia and Delaware but could assure him steady minutes with the Sixers on a nightly basis. He doesn’t need to go above and beyond to unlock a role on the team. Springer just needs to flash his talented defensive skillset and show confidence and improvement in his shot.

3. Mo Bamba

Everybody wants to see the new guys suit up for their team for the first time. The Sixers have a few, of course, but Mo Bamba is somebody who is heading into an important preseason six seasons after getting taken sixth overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Things didn’t work out as planned in Orlando. Then, when Bamba was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers last season, he didn’t have much of an impact out West. The Sixers will be the team to give Bamba a true fresh start and a second chance. Not only did he get a full offseason with the Sixers, but he had an opportunity to link up with one of his mentors, Joel Embiid.

You could say Bamba is competing for backup minutes behind Embiid with Paul Reed, but if the newly-signed Reed is truly eyeing up a hybrid role in the frontcourt, Bamba could work his way into the backup five slot at times.

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In the past, the Sixers have seen some spectacular performances out of Bamba as an opponent. Now, they need the former Magic man to prove he can be reliable behind Embiid if called upon. The backup center position has faced a lot of uncertainty over the years. That’s the case once again this season. Soon, we’ll see what the 76ers have there.