3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following preseason loss to Celtics

BOSTON — The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Boston Celtics by a score of 144-106 in the third of four preseason contests as they move forward. The Sixers were missing Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and others as they moved forward with the exhibition schedule.

VJ Edgecombe led Philadelphia with 19 points, four assists, and four steals, while Tyrese Maxey had eight points and four assists, Labaron Philon Jr. added 14 points, Jabari Walker had 14 points and five rebounds, and Dean Wade had five and three boards. Justin Edwards did end up finishing with 11 points and five rebounds.

Here are the three biggest takeaways following the loss:

Death, taxes, and Edgecombe playing well in Boston. Those are the three things one can count on in life. The second-year guard put his head down and bullied his way to the basket at times. It really felt like the Celtics weren’t putting up a fight against him. He also knocked down some tough jumpers and made an impact defensively. A really solid game for Edgecombe on a night where the Sixers didn’t have their main guys around him.

“I just like the way he’s getting up the floor in general,” said coach Nick Nurse. “He’s running the floor really well for some stuff. If he gets a throw ahead, he’s really good at getting to the front of the rim. I’d like to see that more and more, but I also think he was just getting up the floor. He’s been super active in the actions and getting some good drives, and pull-ups. I just thought he played a really solid game. Again, he’s first and foremost a transition scorer and then 3-point shooter, and he’s also kind of got the mid-level game as well. He wanted the minutes and he got some good minutes out there tonight.”

With all of the injuries the Sixers are dealing with, and the way Walker has played in this preseason, this may open the door for some real minutes for him. He was active against the Celtics and was able to really make a positive impact. The Sixers could use the help at the big man spots and Walker’s activity, rebounding, defense, and 3-point shooting will be a big help for the group. He was a bright spot in a game the Sixers trailed by as many as 45.

“He’s had a good run here,” Nurse said of Walker. “I think we want him to keep rebounding and keep taking shots. He’s been giving us some really good consistent minutes. He’s been playing really tough out there, and he’s been a decent threat from 3. He looks like he’s in a little bit better condition. The point is to kind of get him going, because he took most of the summer off, just getting healthy. So, that was a good bright spot.”

Again, the way Wade can just step in and find ways to be effective is such a big help for this group. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be impactful as he scored his buckets just by being open within the offensive ecosystem. He slipped a screen to get himself an open dunk and then knocked down a spot-up 3. These are the little things that the Sixers will continue to count on him for as the regular season approaches.

“He’s been great,” said Maxey. “I love Dean Wade. He’s really good, man. He’s really good at what he does. He knows his role. He’s just a great piece that we need, and he’s gonna be extremely important for us.”

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following preseason loss to Celtics