Early in the first quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 104-84 win over Melbourne United on Friday evening, Ben Simmons stole a pass, stood at the free-throw line and surveyed the court before tossing the ball off the backboard. After regathering the orange, he didn’t end up slamming it home — or even attempting to — and instead passed it to Markelle Fultz for an easy layup, but such a play signifies the preseason label attached to these games. They will be sloppy, especially early on, but they will be fun.
Fun is exactly what Simmons was, too.