The Philadelphia 76ers are 0-2 to start the 2022-23 NBA season. The Sixers got the nod to kick off the season, but they lost 126-117 to the Boston Celtics before losing 90-88 in their tightly contested home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

There is an element of unfamiliarity that the Sixers do have to get over. Joel Embiid and James Harden looked promising together last year but could still use the time to really learn each other's tendencies. Tyrese Maxey has star potential and is trying to help the team while the offense runs through the two veteran stars. P.J. Tucker, De'Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr. and Montrezl Harrell are all new. The team has barely begun ascending up the learning curve and faced two title favorites right away.

There is plenty of room for improvement for the Sixers and Embiid amid a horrible, no-good, very bad start to his season. Embiid's poor start can be somewhat explained by a bout with plantar fasciitis in the offseason that affected his conditioning. Even with the disappointment from Tuesday and Thursday, it is not the time to sound the alarm bells. Here are the three biggest reasons why.

3. It's two games

Two games account for less than 3 percent of an 82-game season. Even after two excruciating losses, it is waaaaayyyyy too early to make real conclusions about this Sixers team. Getting disappointed at the initial results is fine — it's honestly the appropriate reaction — but it shouldn't blind anyone from the long journey ahead.

The loss to the Celtics was brutal and the loss to the Bucks was heart-wrenching, but there is a whole lot of season ahead. These are the teams that the Sixers are expected to struggle against, even with key players (Robert Williams and Khris Middleton) out. Losing to them should not be considered surprising, no matter how many mistakes they made in both contests.

The Sixers' next opponents are the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers. They should wipe the floor with both young, rebuilding teams and even up their record. Taking losses in those games would be quite worrisome, but even then, the season has still barely begun.

2. James Harden looks amazing

The silver lining for the Sixers is undoubtedly James Harden. The reports about his best days being over seem to be greatly exaggerated, as he looks like he hasn't lost much of a step. He isn't as explosive as before but is adjusting his game in a (previously unthinkable) way to overcome that. The 33-year-old is averaging 33.0 points, eight rebounds and eight assists so far.

There were serious concerns about Harden's abilities coming into the season. He ended last season as a non-factor in the playoffs, where Philly bowed out in Round 2 for the fourth time in five years. Now, he has a 22-point half against a great Boston defense under his belt and was the leading force in a late comeback attempt against another strong opponent.

Harden may not look this great for much longer, but that's no slight against him or reason to fret. Embiid is also playing in a shocking manner…just at the opposite end of the spectrum. Both stars should see their games revert back to where they usually are, but that would be good news for the Sixers. Harden doing a little less carrying each game as Embiid reemerges as a superstar is still a recipe for success.

1. The Sixers are trying (and learning) to make some key adjustments

Although the Sixers entered the season with the same core of players from last year plus a few key additions, this team is still relatively new. James Harden and Joel Embiid have played just 23 games together so far. The guys who are fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth in minutes played so far this season are new additions. There is a lot to work out together.

On defense, the Sixers are trying to switch more often now that they have more versatile defenders. After many noticeable rotation blunders vs. the Celtics, they tightened up a bit against the Bucks, allowing only 90 points. If Embiid didn't have such a horrible third quarter or made a few key plays in the fourth quarter, Philly could have won.

On offense, the Sixers look out of sorts. Amid Harden's excellence are a lot of players not doing enough to create advantages off the ball. Embiid is getting flustered in the post but not taking advantage of the double teams that defenses throw at him by swinging the ball around quickly. The team is shooting just 31.0 percent from deep so far and isn't taking that many triples to begin with.

Doc Rivers deserves some of the blame for this. The Sixers don't make Embiid's life easy when he posts up, and they are not pushing the pace as much as they should for a team with one of the fastest players in the league. Rivers' squad has plenty of potential, but it's up to him to push the right buttons and unleash it.

Admittedly, there isn't any clear remedy for Joel Embiid getting back to his usual form. If it's any consolation, he also got off to a slow start last season, although it wasn't as excruciating to watch as his last two games were. The biggest point of relief is that the season is very long, so he does have some time to find himself. When he does, the Sixers can really start to get rolling.

In all likelihood, this rough patch to start the season will be looked back on and laughed at later in the season. But it doesn't hide the fact that the Sixers have a lot of areas to improve upon. They will have to lock in these next few days before going on a road trip to finish the month.