The new look 76ers hit the court this preseason with two games against the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. This was our sneak peak into the Doc Rivers lead Sixers with all of the new pieces that were added around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Here are some observations ahead of the start of the regular season:

• The offense is going to take some time to come together and look crisp. With a very short training camp and only two preseason games, some of the possessions have been really sloppy. Some of their good offensive possessions occurred when they posted up Embiid and when they set off ball screens for Danny Green/Seth Curry. In the game against the Indiana Pacers, we saw a lot of pick and roll with Simmons and Howard, which was unexpected. The second unit PNR offense with Shake Milton and Dwight Howard looked really good. Shake looked comfortable, knowing when to throw the lob and when to look to score. Doc Rivers mentioned that they didn’t run too many of their normal sets so hopefully it looks better in the regular season.
• It seems like Matisse Thybulle may have fallen out of the rotation. He didn’t play a lot of mins in the first game and in the second game, Maxey and Scott got minutes before him. Not sure how he has performed in practice, but he may have fallen out of favor with Doc. We shall see when the regular season starts.
• Doc wasn’t lying when he said Furkan Korkmaz would be one of their key contributors off the bench. Furkan put on some muscle and looks like he worked on his ball handling. He looks more comfortable putting the ball on the floor after pump fakes. If he continues to improve on the defensive end as well, he can carve out a great bench role for Doc Rivers.
• The Defense looks to be coming together faster than the offense. Thus far, Danny Green’s on ball defense looks spectacular. Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dwight Howard, Matisse Thybulle, and Danny Green will anchor the teams defense. These guys should be able to cover up for most defensive lapses their teammates have.
• I think Tyrese Maxey has the chance to be special for this Sixers team in the future. As the season progresses, he will carve out more of a role with the second unit. His one on one scoring ability is something the Sixers lack at times. I’m really encouraged from what I have saw on the court thus far and he will only get better with game experience.
• JAMES HARDEN- If the Sixers have a chance to get him without giving up Ben Simmons, DO IT NOW! If Simmons is in the deal, I’m not sure I’m willing to give up on him right now.