The Philadelphia 76ers' opening week for the 2022-23 season was an interesting one, to say the least. With a 1-3 record, the Sixers struggled immensely in the background of other Philadelphia sports teams thriving (namely the World Series-bound Phillies and undefeated Eagles). At least the Sixers can be thankful their fans have other sources of happiness for the time being.

The Sixers looked rough against the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks — two losses that were explicable, even though the play on the court was still disappointing. Then they lost to the San Antonio Spurs before finally defeating the Indiana Pacers to secure a W. The long season still ahead is one of the greatest positives to look at, which puts into perspective how brutal the start of their season is.

Now that the Sixers have a handful of games under their belt, they know what to work on as they embark on a road trip that starts Wednesday. Let's take a look a three hot takes about the Sixers' first week of their season.

3. The Sixers' biggest offensive problem is pacing

There is simply way too much talent on this Sixers roster for them to look this discombobulated on offense so often. Trying to get the ball to Joel Embiid in the post often results in the Sixers wasting time and settling for an improvised shot. They also rarely get second looks, as they are one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the league.

But above all, their sluggish tendencies are the true issue at play. Rivers has talked all about how the Sixers need to play with more urgency, yet they are dead last in pace and frequently struggle to get easy looks early in the shot clock.

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers get out in transition less than any other team and rank 24th in points per 100 possessions in transition situations. Being so ineffective in this area explains why a team with one of the better half-court offenses in the league still struggles to put up points. Fast breaks are supposed to be a source of easy offense, but that hasn't been the case for Philly so far.

With every Tyrese Maxey fly route that ends in a touchdown on the other end of the court, it becomes more obvious that he should be used as a fast-break target. His value in these situations obviously comes because of his speed and ability to convert tough layups, but he can also step into 3-pointers as a trailer and sink them.

Just how much of their offensive woes can be chalked up to the chemistry they need to make is uncertain. Embiid and Harden got out to a hot start as a pick-and-roll tandem last season and the only new starter is a 3-point specialist (who is replacing a 3-point specialist). Philly showed more urgency in its win over Indiana, so they are at least showing some progress.

2. James Harden has been Philly's best player … and it's not close

James Harden knows that his role on the team is to help others be the best they can be. But so far, the Sixers have needed someone to step up and take full control of the offense while they work out the kinks. Harden has done exactly that with one of the most prolific starts to a season in his career.

Harden isn't one to get out and run fast breaks, but he can still benefit the team's quest for pace with his outlet passing and ability to knock down triples as a trailer. In half-court sets, he still cooks defenses with his nifty dribbling and shooting. He is thriving in the midrange and has made 12 of his 32 3-point attempts, all while avoiding turnovers at an impressive rate.

The Sixers are surely happy to see Harden flourish but, eventually, he will cool off. Rivers should also not lose sight of the high amount of minutes he has played so far. Nonetheless, until Embiid shows his conditioning has fully caught up and is ready to carry the team again (and/or Maxey shows he can be a high-volume scorer on a nightly basis), Philly should continue to ride the hot hand.

1. The Sixers' bench might actually be a weakness

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
76ers' Tyrese Maxey

Sam DiGiovanni ·

76ers' Nick Nurse and Tyrese Maxey angry, with a blindfold on referee John Goble

Jedd Pagaduan ·

Philadelphia 76ers Knicks NBA Playoffs refs officiating grievance

Peter Sampson ·

Kirk Goldsberry of ESPN shared a stat that puts this take into perspective: since the NBA started tracking starting lineups in the 1970-71 season, no team's bench has scored as little as the Sixers' bench through three games.

The Sixers' depth was one of the biggest points of excitement coming into the season. A perfect supporting player in De'Anthony Melton, two solid backup centers with Paul Reed and Montrezl Harrell, and another 3-and-D wing in Danuel House Jr. joining the spots of several holdovers from the past few years (namely Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz and Georges Niang) brought tons of intrigue as the season began.

Through the first three games, none of those players made a difference. Melton was a part of the Sixers' lineup that helped them come back from down 13 against the Bucks but was otherwise not too impactful. House's defense and shooting were not up to par. Reed and Thybulle saw scarce minutes, while Milton and Korkmaz saw none.

Then, against the Pacers, everything clicked. Melton and Niang came alive with some solid scoring performances as the bench played a key role in the first win of the season. Although the Sixers bench's performance against the Pacers was nice to see, it has to get going against true playoff contenders now. As they look to add one more player to the rotation, they should strongly consider Milton, as his ability to create shots can help them avoid frigid scoring nights.

There is plenty of room for improvement everywhere with the Sixers. Starting on Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors, Philly has to make the right corrections and get itself on track.