After another long offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers are finally back. The (pre)season started on a high note, with Brett Brown’s squad blowing through Melbourne United in swift fashion. The reigning NBL champions hung around at times, but the game was never close.
Ben Simmons led the charge with eight points, eight rebounds and 14 assists, using his athleticism to get to the rim and attack at will. He didn’t shoot any jumpers, but he didn’t really need to. Melbourne had approximately zero players capable of matching up with him.
The same can be said for Joel Embiid, who took Alex Pledger — Melbourne’s 7-foot-1 center — to town at the rim.