The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their preseason schedule Monday night with a matchup against the Toronto Raptors. This game was the Raptors' first time playing in their home arena in nearly two years, and they did not let their home fans down. In the end, Toronto walked away with a 123-107 victory over the Sixers.
While the game might now have gone Philly's way, there were still some positives to take away from the preseason opener. Arguably the biggest takeaway was the stellar performance from one of the newest additions to the team.
Monday's matchup was the first time we got to see free-agent signees Andre Drummond and Georges Niang suit up for the Sixers. They both found themselves in the starting lineup due to Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris being sidelined.
Niang did a little bit of everything in his 20 minutes of action, but Drummond made a very good first impression. The former All-Star finished with a team-high 19 points to go with 14 rebounds, three assists, and four blocks. Outside of some turnovers issues, it was a strong debut from the 76ers' new backup center.
Performances like this are why bringing in Drummond on a vet-minimum deal has the potential to be a steal of a signing. At 28-years-old, he still has a lot to give to a team, and he showed that on Monday.
The biggest thing that stood out from Drummond's performance was he thrived in his Sixers role. He was extremely effective early on in the game when staying within the flow of the offense. Whether it was crashing the glass, being a rim protector, or just rolling hard to the hoop, Drummond did everything with great energy. He even showed off some nice passing skills, something that players brought up during training camp.
When Drummond first arrived in Philadelphia, he said that he and Joel Embiid were going to make life miserable for opposing centers. After seeing how he performed on Monday, he might be on to something. We already know the dominance Embiid brings, and having another big physical center behind him will not bode well for opposing frontcourts.
Another takeaway from this debut is that the Sixers have found their Embiid insurance. Getting the All-Star center through the regular season healthy is a primary goal for Philadelphia, and having a player like Drummond will make that task easier. He is still a starting center on most teams in the NBA and is a double-double threat on a nightly basis. Having a suitable backup who can produce on both ends for big minutes should take a ton of stress off Embiid in the regular season.
Only so much can be drawn from just one preseason outing, but Drummond did a great job starting his tenure with the Sixers on a high note. He spoke heavily during media day and training camp about his willingness to come to Philly and buy into his role, and his play on Monday backed that up. Hopefully, there is more to come from the big man.
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