Philadelphia 76ers: 3 things to watch on opening night

With the 2019-20 NBA season officially upon us, here are three things to watch in the Philadelphia 76ers road opener against the Boston Celtics.

For the first time in the 2019-20 season, the hardwood floors will be painted, the nets will be hung, the jumbotron will light up, and with a single toss of a spherical orange ball with black stripes and thousands of fans forming a sea of deep blue screams, stomps, and claps to rattle a stadium: Philadelphia 76ers basketball will finally begin again.

Starting off this season with a new look and a slew of fresh faces, the Sixers have a lot to prove to their fans and the rest of the league. Which they’ll start tonight by taking on longtime franchise rival, the Boston Celtics on the home court.

Not only is this a huge first game for Philadelphia in general, but it’s a huge first game for Al Horford, making him wait the least amount of time possible to face his former squad, as well as other new additions like Josh Richardson, Raul Neto, Trey Burke, Kyle O’Quinn, and summer rookie steal king (more on that here) Matisse Thybulle.

But this game isn’t just big for the new guys, no, it also gives fans a first look at the continued development of chemistry between Ben Simmons (and his improving jump shot), Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris. Can this new-look, super-sized Big 3 put it all together and become the creme of the Eastern Conference, or will fans start to miss Jimmy Butler by Halloween?

And last but not least, who could forget about the #Beehive, as Mike Scott can continue what he started last year after a full offseason in Brett Brown‘s system – much to the excitement of his adoring fans.

But which of these storylines are the most important to watch when Embiid and… Enes Kanter(?) tip-off at midcourt at the Wells Fargo Center at 7:30 EST? Scroll forward and find out!