The 76ers were desperate to pry PJ Tucker away from the Miami Heat. They jumped through a bunch of contractual hoops and hurdles to get it done.
Any reasonable person would probably be asking themselves, “wait, why are the Sixers so desperate to sign a 37-year-old?” The answer is the team that made it to the NBA Finals last season — it’s the Boston Celtics.
Particularly, it’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Eastern Conference runs through them. There’s no debating that.
But that’s exactly why the 76ers went to get Tucker. It’s why they picked up Danuel House. It’s why they traded for De’Anthony Melton. They needed wing defenders who could take on the challenge of guarding the Celtics’ duo.
Opening night was a test run and Philadelphia absolutely failed.
They allowed 70 points between the two of them with Tatum and Brown finishing with 35 points a piece. It didn’t matter who guarded them. PJ Tucker? Food. Tobias Harris? Food. Melton? Toast. You get the point by now. There wasn’t anything anyone could do with either of them.
A lot of the work was done on the break after Sixers turnovers. They had 14 total, which lead to easy buckets. But much of it was created by the elite athleticism and anticipation the Celtics’ two wings have.
Goodness, Jayson Tatum. He's dominating. pic.twitter.com/iJs3R5jTqq
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) October 19, 2022
But don’t get it twisted — there was also elite shot creation mixed in with moments like these.
Jayson Tatum with a step-back three and TD Garden is rocking 🔊
🎥 @NBA | @Celtics pic.twitter.com/GuSDXDHsWf
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) October 19, 2022
The 76ers couldn’t contain penetration on the perimeter and were stretched thin by the Celtics’ 5-out lineups. It resulted in a ton of easy baskets for the Jays — particularly for Brown, who continuously bullied his way to the rack.
VIDEO:
Jaylen Brown layup around Tobias Harris pic.twitter.com/TbpsRV22Sm— 3030 (@jose3030) October 19, 2022
The night wasn’t perfect for them. They shot a combined 6-19 from deep and turned the ball over 7 times between the two of them. But there was far more good than bad for them on a night when it just seemed like they couldn’t be stopped.
Look, it’s only one game. It’s not time for overreaction. The NBA season is a marathon — not a sprint. Just because the 76ers’ wing defenders didn’t work tonight, doesn’t mean they won’t.
And, if we’re being honest, Boston has a lot to clean up, too. As bad as the 76ers’ defense was, the Celtics were just as leaky. Boston allowed 119.4 points per 100 possessions, which is miles away from their NBA-best 106.2 rating from last season.
But, if we’re being honest, it’s becoming harder and harder to think of better duos in the NBA than Tatum and Brown. The scariest part is that they’re only 24 and 26 years old, respectively. They’re only getting better. No one seems to have an answer for them. and that’s scary.
The good news is the league has a few months to try and figure it out. Best of luck.
