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Philadelphia 76ers Preview: 5 Things to Look For in Opener

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:24 p.m. ET

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The Philadelphia 76ers will open their regular season schedule at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 8:00pm

Wednesday night’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder marks exactly 196 days since the Philadelphia 76ers played their last regular-season game, and since then, there’s been a lot of changes surrounding the South Philly squad.

Most notably, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric (whom Philly acquired in the 2014 NBA Draft) will both be active for the Sixers for the first time in a regular-season NBA game, making the nationally televised season-opener one of the most anticipated Sixers games in years.

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Over the last few seasons, the theme around the Sixers heading into the season wasn’t exactly optimistic. Under former general manager Sam Hinkie, Philadelphia lost a ton of games in the hopes of collecting young talent through the draft.

Now, instead of waiting another season for the talent to arrive, much of it is finally here.

And while the Sixers likely won’t have a great season in the win-column, their new young talent will finally be displayed on the court as they attempt work and build together this season for the first time.

Unfortunately for the 76ers, they don’t have the easiest opponent on opening night.

Oklahoma City is led by one of the NBA’s top overall players in point guard Russell Westbrook, and also have a solid core consisting of Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, Ersan Ilyasova and Enes Kanter.

There will be plenty keep an eye out for during Philly’s inaugural game of the 2016-17 season, but some questions protrude more than others.

Here’s five things to look for during the Sixers’ Wednesday night contest.

Oct 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts to a play against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

1 – How Will the Sixers Contain Russell Westbrook?

While the Philadelphia 76ers have a plethora of young and talented big men, the same can not be said about their situation at the guard position.

Their guards will most likely be the team’s biggest weakness this season (both offensively and defensively) and unfortunately for them, they have the task of going up against a Top-5 player in the league in that position to open their season.

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Over the past few years, Russell Westbrook has reached NBA-superstar status alongside former teammate Kevin Durant. Now, with Durant in Golden State, Westbrook has more on a chip on his shoulder than ever before and wants to prove that he can be the sole-leader of the Thunder.

According to bovada.lv, Westbrook is the favorite to win the 2016-17 NBA MVP Award, now that he doesn’t have to share the ball with Durant.

If Ben Simmons were healthy, he’d likely be given the task of guarding Westbrook for the majority of the evening, but since he’s not, the Sixers will probably have some trouble containing the five-time All-Star.

Sergio Rodriguez and T.J. McConnell will be the two point guards for the Sixers on opening night, and neither really has the athleticism or speed to stick with Westbrook (honestly, not many players across the entire NBA do).

It will be interesting to see what type of defense coach Brett Brown draws up to attempt to contain Westbrook, but it could end up being a long night for the Sixers’ guards.

Sep 23, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) poses for portraits during Oklahoma City Thunder media day at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

2 – How Will Joel Embiid Perform Against Steven Adams & Enes Kanter?

There hasn’t been this much excitement surrounding a Philadelphia 76ers rookie-debut since Allen Iverson made his in 1996.

And while Joel Embiid fared well against some of the better big men in the league (including Andre Drummond, Al Horford and Hassan Whiteside) in the preseason, the regular season is a whole different ball game.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t have any real All-Star caliber big men this season, they have a solid duo in Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. Adams is more of a rebounding, defensive-minded center while Kanter is capable of putting up points.

Embiid was certainly impressive in the preseason (with averages of 11.4 points, 6.0 rebounds in under 15 minutes per game), but the intensity will surely be higher on Wednesday night than it’s been over the last few weeks.

Adams and Kanter will test Embiid on both ends of the floor on Wednesday, and it should be exciting to see how he performs against the veteran duo.

Oct 6, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) in action against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards 125-119. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

3 – How Will Dario Saric Perform in his NBA Regular-Season Debut?

Dario Saric will finally make his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday night exactly 855 days after he was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 12th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.

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While the Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best back courts in the NBA to go along with a solid trio of big men, they don’t have anyone that truly matches up well with Dario Saric.

If the Thunder try to put Domantas Sabonis, Enes Kanter or Steven Adams on him, Saric will likely be able to stretch them out to the perimeter. If they try to cover him with someone like Kyle Singler or Ersan Ilyasova, Saric should have no problem simply getting around his defender off the dribble while successfully putting up points.

Overall, it’s a good matchup for the Croatian rookie, and as long as he can sink his open shots, don’t be surprised if Saric leads the team in points on opening night.

Apr 12, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) makes a three point shot past the outstretched hand of Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (24) in the first half at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

4 – How Well Will the Sixers Shoot From the Outside?

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t exactly the best shooting team in the league.

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During the preseason, they only had five guys shoot over 30 percent from 3-point land, and two of them (Brandon Paul and James Webb III) did not make the Sixers’ 15-man roster.

While they have four guys (Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson, Robert Covington, Hollis Thompson) that shot the 3-ball above 35 percent last season, the Sixers will need to shoot better as a collective unit if they want to compete on Wednesday (especially with Bayless reportedly out for the first month of the season with a wrist injury).

Covington, Thompson, Saric, Sergio Rodriguez, Jerami Grant (who has worked to improve his outside shot this offseason) and even Joel Embiid will need to be consistent shooters from outside if they want a chance at taking down the Thunder.

They’re capable of making a high percentage of outside shots, now, they’ll just have to make them.

If they don’t, it will be a long night for the Sixers fans in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center.

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) takes a break during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

5- Can the 76ers win?

While the Philadelphia 76ers should be a much better team than they were during their 10-win season last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder might be too tall a task on opening night.

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Oklahoma City was one win away from making the NBA Finals last season, and even though Kevin Durant skipped town, they still have Russell Westbrook with a solid core surrounding him.

The Thunder will also be playing with a chip on their shoulder in order to prove that they can still be a contender in the Western Conference without Durant.

The Sixers will almost certainly come up short in this one, but if everything falls into its right place, it’s not impossible for them to get the win (think back to last season’s overtime game against the 73-win Golden State Warriors).

In order to win, Philadelphia will need to (somehow) contain Westbrook and Saric will have to pick up the scoring. Embiid, Richaun Holmes and Jahlil Okafor will have to do what they can to out-muscle Oklahoma City’s big’s in the paint, as well.

And most importantly, Philadelphia will have to sink its open shots.

If the Sixers can accomplish these feats, they’ll have a chance, but it’s much easier said than done.

The Center is going to be loud at tip-off on Wednesday night — let’s see if the hometown 76ers can keep the crowd on their feet for the next 48 minutes.

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