LeBron James made his preseason debut for Philadelphia on Thursday in a 114 to 108 loss at Brooklyn, playing 18 minutes in his first appearance for the fourth and likely final franchise of his career.
What did his line look like?
Unusual. Ten points, four rebounds and a team high five assists, with exactly one field goal attempt, which he made. The other eight points came from the free throw line, where he went 8 for 8. Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn by 10 in his minutes, all of which came in the first half.
What does one shot attempt indicate?
Intent rather than decline. He arrived with an explicit role, which his coach described during camp as an offence creator rather than a conventional point forward, and a debut spent distributing is consistent with that. He set up a second year guard with a three quarter court pass for a layup barely a minute into the game, and his coach praised his reading of the match, citing long passes, middle passes and feeds to cutters.
How did the starting five look?
Promising in a small sample. The planned lineup played together for the first time and outscored Brooklyn by two across ten first half minutes. Jaylen Brown scored 18 on 5 of 9 shooting and Tyrese Maxey 14 on 5 of 8, which is efficient production from both.
What about Embiid?
A difficult night. He scored six points on 1 of 5 shooting with eight turnovers in 24 minutes. He said he needs to protect the ball better while noting that his first games of a season are usually like this and that it takes a few to get going. His coach said he can play considerably better and would say so himself, while describing his presence and effort as a positive after the injuries that have cost him recent seasons.
Is that a fair reading?
Mostly. Eight turnovers is a lot in any context, and a player who missed significant time deserves some latitude in a first appearance. The availability point from the scrimmage last week still holds, and his being on the floor matters more at this stage than what he produced on it.
What needs work?
Spacing, by the players’ own account. Brown said he and Embiid need to work out how to complement each other offensively. The two also collided in the first half, with Embiid falling and Brown going down trying to avoid him. Brown said he flexed his knee and that it seemed fine.
Is the fit question still open?
Yes, and the LeBron James Sixers debut did not settle it. Four players used to primary roles still have to divide shots and late game possessions, which is the question that has run through every piece of Philadelphia coverage this preseason and which ten minutes of a first half cannot answer.
What is next?
Two preseason games remain, at Boston on Saturday and at home against Boston on Oct. 16. The coach said he intends to play the starters in one of them with extended minutes into the second half, with reporting indicating the finale is more likely.
