The new-look Boston Celtics will be missing three familiar players in Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Terry Rozier. Boston is now expected to let young stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum take the next step alongside free agent pickup Kemba Walker. Facing a 76ers team that has elevated expectations and an improved defense will be an immense challenge for Boston. Yet grab the Celtics to make a statement on Wednesday.

This has the potential to be a statement game for the Sixers. They have championship aspirations this season after adding Al Horford and Josh Richardson while also retaining Tobias Harris. Meanwhile, the Celtics lost Horford, Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier. They did bring in Kemba Walker, but they have a glaring hole at center that they will try to fill with a combination of Enes Kanter, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams. Look for the Sixers to start off with a win, and cover along the way.