The Philadelphia 76ers’ first preseason game in 2023 was on the road against the Boston Celtics. The Sixers lost to Boston 114–106, with Joel Embiid and James Harden not playing.

Because Embiid and Harden weren’t there, there weren’t many big-picture lessons to be learned from this game. Boston, on the other hand, played all of its key players, including the Jays and newbies Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. The Sixers, on the other hand, only had De’Anthony Melton and Furkan Korkmaz playing. In the last two minutes, Joe Mazzulla questioned a call, and with 15 seconds left, Nick Nurse called a break. This should have shown that the game was being taken seriously.

There were some problems in Philly’s first dress rehearsal of the season that you should keep an eye out for in the main show, even though the two big stars didn’t take the stage. Let’s look at three things we can learn from the Sixers’ first preseason game against the Celtics.

5. Nick Nurse sets the stage

The nurse had to make a plan for the Sixers even though some of his most important players were out. Philly will probably still see some of the teams he used tonight at some point during the regular season. He’s not going to use a lot of different sets and plays right away, but Philly did use some interesting plans.

The nurse chose to start Paul Reed and Patrick Beverley. This means that Reed is still the best backup center and Beverley is moving into the PG2 spot that Shake Milton used to hold. He didn’t switch to the two-big look until it was time to clear the bench. For the first three quarters, Reed and Mo Bamba took turns playing center.

To make the base defense look better, Nurse moved everything between the one and four spots and had Reed play in a drop. He looked like he was higher up than where Embiid usually falls. The nurse made sure that his players paid close attention to the middle of the court. They helped at the nail and pinched in when the ball got to the paint.

The Sixers weren’t perfect in transition, but they looked a lot better than they did at the beginning of last season at finding the ball, getting back, and stopping the Celtics’ attack, which helped them win some games. When the big guys played, Philly won the battle of turnovers.

Pick-and-roll was a big part of the Sixers’ attack. They also planned to “ghost” the screens, which led the defense in the wrong direction and let the offense move freely in the middle of the court. The ball moved well, especially around the edges where it could find a shot that was free. As Philly shot badly but played pretty well, Tyrese Maxey was at the center of everything (more on him later).

4. Patrick Beverley’s part could be important

PatBev didn’t play as much as some of the other guys, but the way Nurse used him makes it seem like he will be a big part of his rotation.

Beverley not only got to start but he was also put in charge of the Sixers’ defense and matched up with Tatum, who is much bigger. Philly moved its outside players, and Boston kept the ball moving, so Beverley didn’t have many one-on-ones with the star wing.

Beverley looked good all around. He kept the ball moving, and his best pass was a quick flick to Kelly Oubre Jr., who was cutting for an and-one layup. That’s right, he did the too-small celebration. He also scored in different ways from behind the arc, finishing the night with 12 points on 5–7 shooting.

Again, it’s not clear how Beverley will be used during the regular season. After Nurse gave him the go-ahead tonight, it’s not crazy to think that he could start if Harden doesn’t show up. Last season, the Sixers didn’t have a clear, reliable choice at the point of attack on defense. Without Harden, they will miss out on a lot of playmaking. Both worries are taken care of by Beverley, who has a background of being a good spot-up shooter.

3. Kelly Oubre Jr. seems ready to help on both ends of the field.

Oubre is known as a shot-chucker who doesn’t play much defense, which is a big reason why the Sixers’ decision to sign him didn’t seem real. He seems ready to do what it takes to play for Nurse based on how he played this one.

The Nurse had Oubre guard Boston’s star wings, which may show that the Sixers don’t have enough wing backup as much as it shows Nurse’s faith in Oubre. Oubre did not consider the tasks to be easy, and he kept his hands busy. He also looked pumped up when the defense had to move quickly.

Oubre must have felt very humble when he wasn’t signed for so long. He might have good stats on bad teams, but he decided to sign with the Sixers and play for Nurse, who is a very tough coach. There were still some flashy shots from Oubre, but this game showed that he knows what it takes to play on a real competitive team.

2. Jaden Springer is a good fit

How well Springer fits in with the NBA will be very important for the Sixers. The real game is still ahead, but the young guard proved he can handle it in the preseason.

Springer is still very young, but he is just as strong as the big boys. He fought for rebounds and made a layup over Porzingis’s raised arms and through his chest. Springer is also there in your mind. He knows how to move around without the ball, which could help him get some real playing time. When the ball moves around a lot, it’s also important for players to move around.

Springer isn’t your average floor general, but he knows how to throw the rock when it’s needed. As soon as he caught the ball while moving, he sent Reed a bounce pass that led to a shooting foul. With a wrap-around pass, he helped Filip Petrusev on a fast break.

Coach Nurse put Springer in place of Tucker to start the second half. He was paired with Jaylen Brown in a three-guard group. As a mini-big, Springer cut to the basket and slammed down a dunk with both hands after Maxey passed the ball. Then, Tatum tried a poster, but he blocked it. He then got an offensive board and scored through a foul.

The Sixers won’t use Springer as a guard who can score or run the game, and they shouldn’t. He’s not good enough yet to shoot or handle the ball, and he may never reach a level that requires a lot of passes. But Springer is perfect as a hustler and a defense Swiss army knife.

1. Tyrese Maxey is all set to get bigger.

With the Sixers’ two best players out, Nurse had a great chance to help Maxey feel more at ease as an offensive producer. The rising star picked up where he left off in the preseason last year. He kept looking for his shot and made a lot of them. He scored 19 points in the first half by making 7-11 shots. He scored 24 points in 29 minutes and was done for the night.

As Tatum’s helper, Maxey stole the ball and scored, giving Tatum his first big play of the day. He then took the ball the other way for an and-one. He showed off his off-ball sense by moving into the passing lane and having Tucker help him on a catch-and-fire look. He showed off his on-ball creation skill by dribbling into a triple off of a Reed screen.

Maxey showed off a lot of moves, so she’s not just someone who can press the sprint button. He dusted Tatum on one drive, then put him on his hip and scored on a layup. It was a tight finish at the rim, and he also did some middie pull-ups.

It’s still not clear to Maxey how to handle double teams and get the ball out in a way that lets Philadelphia use its size advantage. This is great news, though: 1) Maxey was ready for so many on-ball reps, and 2) he found ways to get up good looks as the main option. He did a good job setting up plays; he led the team with four assists and didn’t turn the ball over at all.

There were a few times when Maxey didn’t bring the ball up, but most of those times were on the fast break. That should still be the case as the Sixers go about their preseason business.

The Celtics will visit the Sixers on Wednesday for their first home game of the preseason.