The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their slate of 2023 preseason games with a road matchup against the Boston Celtics. With Joel Embiid and James Harden among the players sitting out, the Sixers lost to Boston by a score of 114-106.

The absences of Embiid and Harden mean that there weren’t a ton of big-picture takeaways from this game. But the Sixers still had the rest of their roster (minus De'Anthony Melton and Furkan Korkmaz) in action while Boston played all its key players, including the Jays and newcomers Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Lest you think this game wasn’t being taken seriously, Joe Mazzulla challenged a call in the final two minutes and Nick Nurse called a timeout down by eight with 15 seconds left.

Philly's first dress rehearsal of the season included some wrinkles that are worth watching for in the main show, even if the two main stars didn’t take the stage. Let's dive into three takeaways from the Sixers' preseason opener against the Celtics.

5. Nick Nurse lays the groundwork

While some of Nurse's key players were out, he still had to put together a game plan for the Sixers. The lineups he played tonight will still likely be seen by Philly at some point in the regular season. He's not going to go deep into his bag of sets and plays to run right out of the gate but Philly deployed some schemes worth noting.

Nurse decided to start Paul Reed and Patrick Beverley, which suggests that Reed remains the top backup center and that Beverley is sliding into the PG2 spot previously occupied by Shake Milton. He didn’t go to the two-big look until it was bench-clearing time, alternating Reed and Mo Bamba at center for the first three quarters.

As a base defensive look, Nurse switched everything between the one and four with Reed playing in a drop. He appeared to be higher up than Embiid usually drops. Nurse had his guys paying lots of attention to the middle of the floor, helping at the nail and pinching in when the ball got to the paint.

The Sixers were obviously not perfect in transition but they looked way better than they did at the start of last season at locating the ball, getting back and disrupting the Celtics' offense, leading to some takeaways. Philly won the turnover battle when the main guys played.

The Sixers' offense featured a lot of pick-and-roll. Their plans also included some ghosting of the screens, which misdirected the defense and opened the middle of the floor. The ball moved well, especially around the perimeter to find an open shooter. Tyrese Maxey was at the center of everything (more on him later) as Philly shot poorly but operated pretty decently.

4. Patrick Beverley's role could be significant

While PatBev didn’t get as many minutes as other guys, the way Nurse used him suggests that he will be a prominent part of his rotation.

Beverley not only got the start but he took the primary assignment for the Sixers' defense, matching up with the much bigger Tatum. Philly switched with its perimeter players and Boston kept the ball moving, so Beverley didn’t get a whole lot of one-on-ones with the superstar wing.

Overall, Beverley looked sharp. He kept the ball moving, with his nicest pass being a quick flick to a cutting Kelly Oubre Jr. for an and-one layup. He brought out the too-small celebration, of course, and scored inside the arc in various ways, ending his night with 12 points on 5-7 shooting.

Again, it's unclear what Beverley's usage will be during the regular season. Especially with Nurse giving him the nod tonight, it's not out there to suggest he's in the running to start if Harden doesn’t play. Sixers lacked a clear reliable option at the point of attack on defense last season and will be missing out on a ton of playmaking with Harden's absence. Beverley addresses both concerns and has a history of being a respectable spot-up shooter.

3. Kelly Oubre Jr. looks ready to contribute on both ends

Oubre's reputation as a shot-chucker who doesn’t play much defense is a big reason why the Sixes' addition of him didn’t seem to be anything legit. Based on the energy he showed in this one, he's ready to buy into what it takes to play for Nurse.

Nurse had Oubre guard Boston's star wings, which is perhaps an indicator of the Sixers' lack of wing depth as much as it is Nurse's belief in him. Oubre did not take the assignments lightly, staying active with his hands. He also looked energetic when the defense had to scramble.

Oubre going unsigned for so long was surely a humbling experience for him. While he could be a guy who posts good stats on bad teams, he chose to sign with the Sixers and play for a very demanding coach in Nurse. The flashy shot attempts were still there for Oubre but this game was a sign that he knows what it will take to play on a legitimately competitive team.

2. Jaden Springer fits right in

The way that Springer adapts to the NBA level will be key for the Sixers. The preseason is still the precursor to the real deal but the young guard showed he can hang.

Springer may be very young but his physicality is right there with the big boys. He was there fighting for rebounds and finishing a layup through Porzingis' chest and over his outstretched arms. Mentally, Springer is there, too. He has a sense for relocation off the ball that could earn him some real minutes. In an offense with a lot of ball movement, player movement is key, too.

Springer isn’t a typical floor general but he can dish the rock when he has to. After catching the ball on the move, he quickly left a bounce pass for Reed that led to a shooting foul. He assisted Filip Petrusev on a fast break with a wrap-around pass.

Nurse had Springer start the second half in Tucker's spot, rolling with a three-guard lineup and matching him up with Jaylen Brown. Springer played the part of mini-big by cutting to the hoop and slamming down a two-handed dunk on a pass from Maxey. To follow it up, he stuffed a poster attempt from Tatum and later collected an offensive board and scored through a foul.

The Sixers won’t — and shouldn’t — look to Springer as a guard who can go get a bucket or run the offense. He's not there yet as a shooter or ball-handler and he might never get to a level that demands a significant number of touches. But a role as a hustle guy and defensive Swiss army knife fits Springer like a glove.

1. Tyrese Maxey is ready to grow

Nurse had the perfect opportunity to get Maxey more comfortable as a creator on offense with the Sixers' two stars sitting out. The budding star picked up where he left off last preseason, looking for his shot and getting a lot of them to drop on his way to 19 points in the first half on 7-11 shooting. He ended his night with 24 points in 29 minutes.

Maxey's first big play of the day was a steal-and-score, stripping Tatum of the ball as the help man and taking it the other way for an and-one. He flaunted his on-ball creation skill by dribbling into a triple off of a Reed screen and showed his off-ball awareness by moving into the passing lane and having Tucker assist him on a catch-and-fire look.

More than just someone who hits the sprint button, Maxey showed off a plethora of moves. On one drive, after dusting Tatum, he put him on his hip and scored on a floater. He finished at the rim through tight windows and hit some middie pull-ups, as well.

Maxey still has to improve his feel for double-teams and how to get the ball out in a way that allows Philly to capitalize on the numbers advantage. But the simple fact that Maxey was 1) ready to take on so many on-ball reps and 2) found ways to get up good looks as the primary option is very encouraging. Playmaking-wise, he did a fine job, leading the team with four assists and committing no turnovers.

With a few exceptions, many of them happening on the fast break, Maxey brought the ball up most of the time and that should still be the case as the Sixers go about their preseason business.

The Sixers will see the Celtics on Wednesday at their home preseason opener.