To Watch the Sixers

Your town, your team, your 76ers – but why bother to pay even a little bit of attention to a team that may approach losing that number of games (76) in an 82-game season?  Wait, they’re young, they’re inexperienced, but they can’t possibly be that bad, can they?  Who are these guys who open their 2013-14 season tonight against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, and why should we care about what happens over the next six months?

Here are six or seven reasons to invest your time in this season’s 76ers:

1. Michael Carter-Williams. The development of the 6-6 rookie point guard out of Syracuse will be the main reason to monitor the Sixers this year, since his growth is crucial to the team’s long-term progress.  We already know MCW, the 11th pick in the draft last June, can play, but the key things to watch will be whether he can improve his shooting and how he handles playing the toughest position in the NBA on a largely inexperienced team.

2. The “old” veterans, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes. To casual fans, these two guys and Evan Turner will be the only familiar faces on a 76ers team that has been nearly completely turned over in recent years.  Hard to believe that Young is entering his seventh season, all with the Sixers; this is Hawes’ seventh year as well, his fourth since leaving Sacramento to join the Sixers.  The 6-8 Young and the 7-1 Hawes will both play big roles on this year’s team, and will need to show some leadership with an otherwise inexperienced group.

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Tags: 76ers, Brett Brown, Evan Turner, Jim Chesko, Michael Carter-Williams, NBA, Nerlens Noel, Philly Sports News, Philly Sports Talk, Spencer Hawes, Talk Sports Philly, Thaddeus Young