February 09, 2024
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
On his first day as a Sixer, Cam Payne had a difficult assignment: start at point guard and defend Trae Young.
In their first game after a hectic and eventful NBA Trade Deadline, the Sixers hosted the Atlanta Hawks Friday night. The Sixers dropped their eighth game out of their last nine, falling 127-121. Here is what stood out from this one:
• News broke Friday afternoon that Buddy Hield and Cam Payne, the two players the Sixers acquired on Thursday, would be available to make their Sixer debuts. Later on, it became clear that this was no trial run: when Tyrese Maxey was ruled out with an illness, Payne and Hield — who were on other teams just 36 hours earlier — both were inserted into the starting lineup.
• Early on, the Sixers very much looked like a team sporting a starting lineup featuring a backcourt of guys who had never played with the rest of the team before. There were some communication issues on both ends, which is to be expected given the situation.
• Hield was able to knock down a step-back three, and on the next possession attacked a reckless closeout to get to the rim for a solid finish. Payne struggled from the field early on, but did have a put-back layup for his first points as a Sixer.
• In addition to the new guys, Sixers two-way guard Terquavion Smith received the first NBA rotation minutes of his young career. Smith was his typical aggressive self, seeking out pull-up three-point tries. Ricky Council IV received minutes at the end of the period as well, just the second time that he has been part of the regular rotation. Council forced a turnover on Hawks star point guard Trae Young on his first defensive possession.
• Paul Reed had a terrific start to this game. In fact, Reed had posted a double-double — 10 points and 10 rebounds — before the second quarter was even halfway finished. Reed knocked down a few jumpers and did a fantastic job finishing around the rim, which is the area where he truly needs to be at his best moving forward.
• Hield and Payne were not shy about getting shots up in this one -- the proper attitude given the team's current limitations — but neither one was at their best. In the first half, Hield was just 3-10 from the field, and Payne was 3-9.
• Smith gave the Sixers a bit of juice towards the end of the first half with a corner three and a pick-six on a lazy Atlanta pass. But just when it felt like the Sixers had some momentum that could lead to them chipping into the Hawks' lead, Atlanta continued with its barrage of threes -- they knocked down 11 of them in the first half on 19 attempts. The Sixers entered intermission trailing by 17.
• The Sixers needed to come out of the locker room and make a strong push early in the second half, and they simply could not do it. Their offense was somewhat stalled, and their defense was essentially nonexistent. The communication issues persisted throughout the entire night, as did Atlanta's attack from beyond the arc.
• The Sixers were only still in the game because of their second chance points. But what contributed to their downfall was the amount of second chance points they allowed. It felt like every time the Sixers needed a stop, they would force a miss, fail to bring down the rebound, and then give up another triple. Hawks forward and Villanova product Saddiq Bey was particularly effective on the glass, making a tremendous amount of hustle plays.
• Miscommunications are most obvious on the offensive end of the floor -- an errant pass, or a stagnant possession. But on defense, they are just as brutal and just as costly. The Sixers, made up of many players who have never shared the floor together, made mistake after mistake. It is not even necessarily their fault -- this is the harsh reality of what teams have to deal with when they make several trades around the same time.
• A night like this one is when the Sixers would love to see Tobias Harris at his best and most aggressive form. But ultimately, he faded into the background for much of this game, overshadowed by Payne, Hield and Kelly Oubre Jr. for significant portions of the night. For as long as Embiid is out, the Sixers would hugely benefit from Harris being assertive and reliable — when Maxey is out as well, it becomes a necessity.
• Payne was able to heat up a bit in the second half as he got more comfortable running the team's offense. He was able to get in a rhythm with his jump-shooting, knocking down triple after triple to — somehow, some way — lead the Sixers back into the game. Payne may have ended up performing as well as or better than any other Sixer, a remarkable feat given the circumstances.
• While Payne got acclimated as the game went on, Hield did not. The sharpshooter struggled mightily throughout just about all portions of the game. There was not much wrong with his process or approach -- the shots he got were mostly good, advisable looks. They just didn't go in.
• The Sixers made a truly valiant effort to get this game back within reach, but the talent discrepancy combined with the deficit that Atlanta built early on in the game were just a bit too much to overcome, especially given Hield's struggles. Young got hot for the Hawks down the stretch, and the All-Star was able to put the game away and hand the Hospital Sixers yet another loss.
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