Three things to watch: 76ers-Raptors

It was another abnormally normal shootaround Wednesday morning for the 76ers as they prepared to face the Toronto Raptors that night at the Wells Fargo Center.

On the day of games, provided they hadn't played the night before, teams hold shootarounds usually to walk through what they want to do that night and familiarize themselves with the other team's tendencies. The time slots are usually an hour, and some coaches might not even use all of that time frame. It's really meant to get the players out of bed, get their bodies moving for a bit, and allow their minds to get focused on the game.

It's a little bit different for the Sixers. Players are usually on the floor well before the 10 a.m. starting time and after coach Brett Brown dismisses them, which is usually about 11:15, they continue to stick around. There are shooting contests among players, many foul shots, drills with assistant coaches by big men at one end, guards at the other. It's not uncommon for the gym to clear out until about noon, with most players dripping in sweat from their work. Then it's home for a meal, some sleep, then to the arena about 4 o'clock.

"This is our job," rookie Jahlil Okafor said at the team's practice facility at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "This is what we get paid to do just like you guys get paid to do your job. I wouldn't call it impressive, but it's appreciated and respected. This is all I know. I don't know what other teams do, but I'm enjoying it."

That's pretty telling that Okafor, who is averaging 19.9 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds Monday against Chicago, is enjoying things despite his team's 0-7 record.

They'll try to break that streak of 17 consecutive losses – which includes the final 10 games of last season – tonight against the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers will once again be without Nerlens Noel, who will sit with sore wrists suffered in a fall last Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here are three things to look for tonight against the 5-3 Raptors:

Jahlil Okafor's rebounding. Without Nerlens Noel's 9.8 boards per game, somebody is going to have to pick up the slack. But more than that, Okafor has expressed to his coaches his desire to become a better rebounder and they have spent the past week watching film and working with him in that area. In the long run, he could be an absolute stud in this league if he can become a formidable rebounder to go along with his scoring ability.

The outside shooting of Nik Stauskas. The shooting guard has made just nine of his last 37 attempts from three (24.3 percent) and made just 2 of 13 overall on Monday against Chicago. The disturbing part of it is that many of his looks have been pretty wide open, as Okafor demands more and more attention in the post. It is imperative that the second-year player get his shot on target if this team wants to end the losing streak.

Kyle Lowry. The Toronto guard and Philly native takes special pride in his game when he comes home. The Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova product is averaging 18.9 points and 6.5 assists this season. In a game at the Wells Fargo Center last season, Lowry scored 17 fourth-quarter points to lead the Raptors to a 91-86 win.