LeBron James’ first preseason run with Philadelphia offered a clean look at the job in front of him: push the pace, organize the floor and make a crowded new roster fit. The 41-year-old handled much of the offense in Thursday’s preseason loss to the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, piling up five assists in the opening quarter.
Philadelphia is a little more than a week from its regular-season opener, and James is still working through the early stages of a major change after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. But the rhythm around the group is beginning to show, from the locker-room music to the way the Sixers are already leaning on his passing.
Quick facts
- James made his Philadelphia preseason debut Thursday in Brooklyn.
- He recorded five first-quarter assists while initiating much of the Sixers’ attack.
- Philadelphia is also bringing in Jaylen Brown, Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
- James averaged 20.9 points per game with the Lakers last season.
- Rookie guard Labaron Philon said James urged him to take an open floater rather than defer.
James set the tone early against the Nets. He found VJ Edgecombe running ahead for a layup after a Brooklyn make, then located Edgecombe on a cut for a dunk. He fed Tyrese Maxey coming off a flare for a 3, connected with Jabari Walker at the rim and found Wade for a perimeter make.
The numbers only caught part of it. Philadelphia’s roster has scoring options, with Maxey and Brown both capable of producing more than 25 points a night. What James brings is the ability to make the first read, the second read and the early-hit pass before defenses get set.
“It’s always important to attack before the defense can get organized,” James said. He pointed to Edgecombe, Maxey and Brown as players who can break open gaps and win individual matchups once Philadelphia gets moving in transition.
Standards arriving with the playmaking
James has been treating camp as a gradual build, not a finished product. He said the Sixers are still learning how to place each other in favorable situations and that the process will require patience.
“Each day has been improving, though some days will be better than others,” James said. “Being at the facility and around this group helps. There’s good energy, good spirit. It’s enjoyable to come in and work.”
Teammates have already seen the routine. James has arrived at practices after completing his own workout, bringing the preparation habits that have kept him among the league’s elite for nearly 25 years. Philadelphia hopes those habits matter as much as the production during its push toward a title.
The social adjustment has been visible, too. James has shared new handshakes with Brown and Joel Embiid, spent time with Maxey’s daughter Marvel during an intrasquad scrimmage and even handled the postgame media load after the Brooklyn defeat, allowing Maxey to avoid it.
There is also a small but important message for Philadelphia’s younger players: do not stop playing because James is on the floor. Philon passed out of an available floater during camp to get the ball to the veteran. James pulled the rookie aside at the next stoppage.
“He told me I needed to stay myself,” Philon said. “The floater was there, and I passed it up. He said I should have taken it.”
Brown sees the formula as straightforward. Get the ball over half court quickly, run to the corners, hold spacing and avoid turning a talented roster into an overcomplicated one.
“We want to push it, fill the corners and handle the basic things,” Brown said. “The simple details can be the most effective. Get to the corner, establish spacing and play the right way.”
That framework suits James. His scoring load may not be what it was at earlier points in his career, even as he remains the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. His passing remains central, and on a Philadelphia team built around Maxey and Brown in their primes, that may be the cleanest path to making this new mix work.
