Two teams hoping to contend for the Atlantic Division title will meet Wednesday night when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Boston Celtics in the opening game for each team.
Philadelphia might be without veteran forward Paul George, who is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery performed during the offseason. George didn’t play in any of Philadelphia’s preseason games but was a full participant in practice Sunday.
“He’s moving good,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “He needs to have some more conditioning and things, but he looked good. He’s really pushing himself to get in shape. He, defensively, looked really good. … He’s making progress.”
The 76ers’ level of success this season will depend largely on the health of Joel Embiid, who had knee surgery last April. Embiid, who averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 19 games last season, made his first preseason appearance in Friday’s 126-110 victory over Minnesota, collecting 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 19 minutes.
Philadelphia, which finished 24-58 last season, also expects significant contributions at both ends of the court from V.J. Edgecombe, who was selected with the third pick in this year’s NBA draft.
“I think we thought, ‘OK, maybe he could play on the ball some,’ and we were talking about, ‘Let’s do it at Summer League,'” Nurse said. “But where we’re at, I think he’s way ahead of where we thought he might be, being able to do that.”
The Celtics will have a much different look this season as they wait for Jayson Tatum to return from a torn Achilles. Boston traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis — both starters last season — and centers Al Horford and Luke Kornet left via free agency.
The Celtics, at 61-21, won the Atlantic Division last season and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they lost to the New York Knicks, four games to two.
Seven-footer Neemias Queta likely will be Boston’s starting center this season, while newcomers Luka Garza and Amari Williams provide depth at that position.
“I’m not trying to make a big deal out of it, but at the end of the day, I’m going to start for the Celtics — and that’s a big deal in itself,” Queta said. “The main thing is keeping the same mindset I’ve always had. I’m just trying to help the team win, no matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench. I’ve got to impose my will and make my teammates better.”
Some of the scoring void created by Tatum’s absence will be filled by 26-year-old guard Anfernee Simons, whom Boston acquired from Portland in the deal for Jrue Holiday. Simons averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists in 70 games last season.
Simons is expected to come off the bench this season. He began his career as a backup to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum but was a starter for the Trail Blazers the past three-plus seasons.
“Coming into a culture like this, you have to be able to adapt or you’re not going to be in the position that you want to be in, whether it’s playing or not playing,” Simons said. “To me, it’s really that simple.”
Jaylen Brown sustained hamstring tightness against Toronto during Boston’s final preseason contest, but he sounded optimistic that he would play against Philadelphia.
“We’ll see,” Brown said Monday. “We’ll take it one day at a time. But as of now, I feel great.”
