Ben Simmons Feels Optimistic About Sixers Offense After Beating Celtics

After defeating the Celtics in the first preseason game, Ben Simmons feels good about the Sixers offense.

Although the Philadelphia 76ers won their 2020-2021 preseason debut on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics, the team went into the matchup with expectations of being a bit rusty for obvious reasons -- especially on the offensive end of the floor.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned in the days leading up to practice that the team isn't exactly where they want to be, offensively. The veteran guard Seth Curry echoed the same sentiment as he pointed out the fact that players are still adjusting to the new system and personnel.

Curry and Rivers were right at first. The Sixers did look slightly sloppy in the beginning as expected. Once they gathered themselves, though, the 76ers turned in a promising performance, which has the team's top "facilitator" Ben Simmons feeling optimistic moving forward.

"[The game] was great overall," Simmons said following the victory on Tuesday. "We got the result we wanted, and that was to get better and get the win." On a personal level, Simmons wasn't worried about his individual stats. 

As he turned in a ten-point performance in 26 minutes of action, the two-time All-Star made it clear his focus was on getting back into basketball shape after missing an extended amount of time with two major injuries last year.

"This was my first game since the bubble so I was trying to get my legs under me, get those game reps, get my breath" Simmons mentioned. Now that he had the opportunity to compete against another team for nearly 30 minutes, and also saw this year's roster in action, Simmons feels optimistic about the Sixers' status.

"Overall, I think we look solid for having no plays in, I think we look great," he continued. "We didn't run a single play really. I think the guys look good, you know, we're going to build that chemistry up. It's going to take a little time but I think we look good." After a stellar showing, the Sixers defeated the Celtics 108-99 to move to 1-0 on the 2020 NBA Preseason. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA