3 observations after Maxey leaves with thumb contusion, Sixers drop preseason finale originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers finally reached the preseason finish line.
They concluded their six-game exhibition schedule Friday night in Orlando with a 114-99 loss to the Magic, dropping to 3-3 in the preseason.
Tyrese Maxey subbed out in the first quarter because of a right thumb contusion.
Joel Embiid (left knee management), Paul George (left knee bone bruise) and Jared McCain (pulmonary contusion) were out.
The Sixers’ opening night of the regular season is set for Wednesday vs. the Bucks. Here are observations on the team’s last fully meaningless game for a long time:
Abbreviated preseason finale for Maxey
Maxey only played five minutes, coming out shortly after indicating discomfort with his hand. Late in the second quarter, a Sixers official said Maxey’s injury was a right thumb contusion and that he would not return.
Fluky, unfortunate injuries can happen anytime and Maxey’s does not appear to be a serious one. Still, the decision to play Maxey on Friday in the first place is open to scrutiny, especially given the Sixers’ other preseason injuries.
In a big-picture sense, it will be interesting to follow how the Sixers approach Maxey’s minutes. With the team planning to exercise regular-season caution about Embiid and George’s health, just how large a load will Maxey carry? His 37.5 minutes per game last year ranked second in the NBA. During the playoffs, he averaged 44.5.
He’s a lively 23-year-old who doesn’t need much rest at all to be great, but the Sixers will obviously want to do whatever’s necessary to have Maxey healthy in the postseason as well.
Who’s going to start on opening night?
Eric Gordon and KJ Martin remained in the Sixers’ starting lineup, playing next to Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond. Caleb Martin stayed on the second unit.
The Sixers only took a few seconds to get on the scoreboard; Drummond won the opening jump ball and tapped it to Oubre for a dunk. Gordon then sunk a three-pointer seconds after a KJ Martin steal.
Martin also made an early catch-and-shoot three, flashing the offseason shooting improvement Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has praised. Overall, Martin seems like he’s significantly raised his stock during the preseason. It would be surprising at this point not to see him in the team’s rotation against Milwaukee.
In terms of the (full-strength) starters, how will Nurse begin the regular season? Along with All-Stars Maxey, George and Embiid, Oubre appears to be a lock. He played 23 minutes in the preseason finale and led the Sixers in scoring for a second straight game, posting 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting, four rebounds and two assists.
As a 35-year-old guard who once won Sixth Man of the Year, Gordon should be fine either way. Caleb Martin is a naturally adaptable player and we presume he’ll close many games for the Sixers. There’s reasonable arguments to be made for just about any lineup. Ultimately, very few early-season starting fives in the NBA should be viewed as egregious mistakes. The Sixers should have a much better idea soon of what works and what doesn’t.
Highlights from Yabusele and Drummond
Guerschon Yabusele’s numbers weren’t enormous — nine points, six rebounds and two assists — but he made several impressive plays Friday.
His highlights included a weakside block on Gary Harris, a pick-and-pop three, and a sharp assist to KJ Martin through a tight window.
Yabusele displayed his offensive skills this preseason and attacked effectively, but he’s also been good at steering clear of unnecessary risks. If he keeps that up in the regular season, we imagine Nurse will like the idea of Yabusele in a variety of situations.
Drummond, in contrast, committed a couple of careless first-quarter turnovers. On the positive side, he was highly prolific as usual on the glass, recording 20 rebounds. He added 12 points and three steals, too.
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