What did the Sixers learn from their NBA preseason slate? ‘We’ve got a long way to go’

The 76ers were unbeatable this preseason, winning four games by an average of 10.2 points.

Tyrese Maxey looked like an All-Star in waiting. And the team’s added toughness was undeniable.

But …

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Joel Embiid said. “We’re not where we want to be, obviously, with the new guys and basically a new team. So it’s going to take a while for everybody to get on the same page.

“But I think we’ve got a good foundation to build on and get better every day.”

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Embiid, James Harden, and Maxey are the foundation the Sixers will lean heavily on.

Embiid and Harden are perennial All-Stars and future Hall of Famers while Maxey’s play demands that he’ll have a leading role this season.

But Embiid will tell you the Sixers aren’t where they want to be quite yet.

“Defensively, we have our moments, but we need to do that the whole game,” he said. “And offensively, we have to keep moving the ball, getting guys open. Me doing my thing. James getting everybody shots all around.

“But yeah, like I said, it goes back to ball movement and defense has to be [consistent] for all 48 minutes.”

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There wasn’t much ball movement in Wednesday’s 99-94 home victory over the Charlotte Hornets — at least not in the first half.

Embiid, Maxey, and Harden attempted a combined 32 of the Sixers’ 48 shots. Tobias Harris had only four attempts in 17 minutes, 24 seconds of first-half action. Harris finished the game with one point on 0-for-5 shooting despite leading the team in minutes (27:09).

The Sixers offense will need to be more balanced during the regular season as several players will rely on Embiid’s gravity to break open and Maxey and Harden’s ballhandling to score easy buckets.

Defensively, the Sixers still need to communicate better, and must rely heavily on switching now that they’ve adopted a small-ball approach. Yet they ranked second in the league in steals (13.0 per game) this preseason through Wednesday.

“We have to hang our hats on the defensive end, making sure it’s going to be difficult for teams to beat us,” Harden said. “Obviously, this league is an offensive league. You’ve got so many offensive talented guys in this league.”

Harden thinks as long as the Sixers are detailed on the defensive end, their offense will take care of itself.

Individually, reserve center Paul Reed (10) was tied for first in steals this preseason. Maxey (69) was second in total points. And Philly proved to be a solid foul shooting team this preseason, ranking second in the league at 86.4%.

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“We’ve got a chance to be something special,” Harden said. “I think we knew that in the beginning, starting this summer. But obviously it’s a long way to go. A lot of great habits that we got to start forming.

“If we get this thing together, which I’m more than confident we will, it’s no reason why we shouldn’t be the last team standing.”

Embiid pledged $1 million to Philadelphia nonprofits with the support of Under Armour in honor of his late brother, Arthur. The center and Under Armour will grant the money to a group of organizations over the next three years.