The Tyrese Maxey-VJ Edgecombe tandem now has one NBA (preseason) game under its belt.
Maxey and Edgecombe sharing the floor was the most significant Sixers item Thursday from the team’s 99-84 preseason-opening loss to the Knicks in Abu Dhabi.
In his preseason debut, Edgecombe tallied 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Maxey had 14 points, four assists and four boards.
Key Sixers out with injuries included Joel Embiid (left knee), Paul George (left knee), Jared McCain (right thumb) and Trendon Watford (right hamstring).
The Sixers’ second preseason game in Abu Dhabi is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. Here are observations on their defeat Thursday:
The Maxey-Edgecombe backcourt
The Sixers paired Maxey and Edgecombe together to start the game alongside Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona.
That unit played with good defensive intensity out of the gate, pressuring the Knicks and hunting for turnovers. An Oubre steal on Mikal Bridges led to a Maxey fast-break bucket.
Edgecombe and Maxey’s chemistry as a duo will take time to build. Maxey threw a pass out of bounds late in the first quarter when he expected Edgecombe to stay on the wing and the rookie instead started to cut. The two talked things over as the Sixers headed to a timeout.
Individually, Edgecombe in the first quarter showcased many of the talents that made him the No. 3 pick. He grabbed a defensive rebound, pushed the ball ahead and tossed up a lob that Bona finished in high-flying fashion. Bona got another alley-oop slam about a minute later courtesy of Maxey.
Edgecombe displayed his passing instincts again when he received the ball on a backdoor cut and dropped off a dish to Johni Broome for an easy hoop.
Edgecombe tried for a giant highlight in the second quarter, soaring high and attempting to dunk over Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. He didn’t quite pull it off, but Edgecombe drew a foul and knocked down both of his free throws.
Meanwhile, Maxey was the Sixers’ top producer in the first quarter, running the show and scoring 10 points. He hit a smooth floater on the Sixers’ last possession of the period.
A shooting day to forget
The Sixers’ outside shooting was about as bad as it possibly could have been in the first half at 1 for 20 from three-point range. The Knicks (8 for 39) were also very subpar in that area Thursday.
The final numbers for the Sixers were 34.6 percent from the field and 8.6 percent (3 for 35) beyond the arc.
All teams have poor shooting days and preseason results deserve little scrutiny. Still, we’ll note that the Sixers went 34.1 percent from three-point territory last season, which ranked 27th in the NBA.
They need stars like Maxey and George to have better shooting seasons, and for role players to sink a higher percentage of the open jumpers those stars create.
No bench standouts
As is the norm in the preseason, the Sixers used a long bench. The team’s first five subs were Justin Edwards, Jabari Walker, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Broome.
After that, the Sixers played Kennedy Chandler. The 23-year-old point guard on an Exhibit 10 contract scored 10 points. Chandler entered ahead of two-way contract player Hunter Sallis, who made a mid-range jumper soon after checking in and posted eight points and three rebounds.
No Sixers bench player had an exceptional outing and the Knicks’ second unit was superior, turning their win into a blowout in the third quarter.
Edwards struggled offensively Thursday, missing all eight of his field goals and committing three turnovers in 16 minutes.
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