The Philadelphia 76ers will kick off the preseason schedule on Oct. 4 in Toronto. The Sixers will be without rookie big man Charles Bassey in the exhibition opener as he deals with a passport issue.
Bassey, the 53rd overall pick in 2021, sat out the Las Vegas Summer League due to a contract holdout. He eventually inked a “partially guaranteed” three-year deal (via The Inquirer). Now Bassey’s debut is on hold again as the 6-foot-11 big man from Nigeria deals with a work visa issue.
He won’t play against the Raptors, although the problem should be fixed by Oct. 11 at the latest. The Sixers play four preseason games: Oct. 4 at Toronto, Oct. 7 vs. Toronto, Oct. 11 vs. Brooklyn, Oct. 15 at Detroit. Head coach Doc Rivers isn’t worried about Bassey missing a game or two.
“Bassey playing this game doesn’t matter one way or the other, to be honest,” Rivers told reporters. “He’s had all the practices, he’s gonna miss one game so I don’t think that matters except for he needs to get into a game and he will. There’s nothing you can do about this.”
To Rivers’ point, Bassey has been on the court for every single training camp practice. The team doesn’t expect the Western Kentucky product to miss any future preseason games.
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Sixers Release Preseason Roster
The Sixers released their full 18-man preseason roster ahead of the first exhibition game. Ben Simmons was listed on the roster. Aaron Henry and Grant Riller are playing on two-way contracts, while first-round pick Jaden Springer should get some burn. Other new names include Shaquille Harrison, Georges Niang, Andre Drummond.
NBC Sports Philadelphia announced they had the broadcast rights to 73 regular-season games and two preseason matchups, along with “extensive pregame and postgame coverage.” Unfortunately, the preseason opener on Oct. 4 is only available to watch on NBA League Pass ($17.99 per month).
New play-by-play announcer Kate Scott takes over for the retired Marc Zumoff and joins color analyst Alaa Abdelnaby in the booth. The regular-season opener is slated for Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. against the Pelicans in New Orleans.
Springer Leaning on Veteran Players
Springer inked a four-year, $10.4 million contract (via Spotrac) back on Aug. 4. He played in the Las Vegas Summer League where he immediately noted how much faster the NBA game was compared to college ball.
So the rookie hit the gym with Matisse Thybulle and Paul Reed in the offseason to work on his conditioning. Springer has also been leaning heavily on the veterans in the locker room, guys like Danny Green, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid. He learned a lot in training camp and hopes it translates once the real games start.
“They’ve just been telling us what to do on this play, where to be on this,” Springer told reporters. “So they’re all making sure we’re doing the right things, keeping up to speed with everybody else. Everybody’s trying to compete and win at practice.”
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