The Philadelphia 76ers started off the 2026-27 NBA season on the right foot with a 106-100 win over the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. It was an impressive performance all things considered when you factor in that it was the first game together for Philadelphia's new-look starting five, while the Knicks had the benefit of continuity for the contest and they were playing at home.
The Sixers got contributions from up-and-down the roster in the victory. Star guard Tyrese Maxey led the way for the team with 28 points and five assists, while new additions Jaylen Brown (19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) and LeBron James (14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) both made their presence felt. Even Anfernee Simons came in and made a major impact for Philly off of the bench.
But, while the Sixers were able to pull out the victory, there were still a couple areas of concern for the Sixers, and we'll look at those here.
1. Bench depth/production
If it seemed like Sixers head coach Nick Nurse used a pretty thin rotation in the first game of the season, that's because he did. Only nine total players touched the floor for Philly in the game, the five starters and these four reserves: Simons, Adem Bona, Jabari Walker and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. And even then, Walker played less than three minutes in the game and Bona played about 10.
So, the Sixers largely relied on just seven players over the course of the contest against New York. While that's common in playoff games, it's not sustainable for the regular season, as the team will want to keep the key contributors healthy and as fresh as possible over the course of an 82-game season.
The looming returns of Dean Wade and Dominick Barlow should help, as both of those guys figure to play meaningful minutes in the frontcourt for Philly. Perhaps rookie guard LaBaron Philon Jr. will also be able to crack the rotation. He didn't play at all in the opener.
Given the overall lack of opportunity for Philadelphia's reserves, it's no surprise that the Knicks' bench outscored the Sixers' bench 32-23. Nick Nurse is known for riding his starters heavily, and he did that to help lead Philly to a season-opening win, but he'll need to be a bit more liberal with his use of his reserves moving forward in order to build and establish a well-rounded rotation.
2. Three-point shooting
While they were ultimately able to overcome it and claim victory, the 76ers shot very poorly from long range in the first game of the season. As a team, the Sixers shot just 11-of-40 from beyond the arc, which translates to an anemic 28 percent.
The starters specifically struggled for Philly from three-point range, as the team's top five made just six of its 26 attempts. James and VJ Edgecombe combined to go 0-for-6 from deep, while Maxey went just 2-for-9. Luckily for Philly, the Knicks weren't much better as they connected on just 11 of 33 triple attempts as a team.
It's certainly not time to panic after one game. The Sixers have a plethora of capable shooters on the roster, and one would assume that they'll be able to convert at a higher clip moving forward.
For now, we can chalk the shooting woes up to first-game jitters. However, if the trend continues then it could become a legitimate cause for concern.
Get 76ers On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.
Add us as a preferred source on Google