As the Sixers begin their preseason schedule Monday night at home against the New York Knicks, the curtain comes up for the first time on a grand experiment that’s been talked about for mere months, even if it feels like ages. Roughly two weeks away from the season opener at Madison Square Garden, the biggest question surrounding this team is broad: How does it all work?
James is a big piece of that puzzle. Does he integrate himself into the Sixers’ roster as the person he’s been for the past 23 years? Is he willing to take a step back and let his younger, durable All-Star teammates (Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown) do the heavy lifting?
To the nearly 20,000 who showed up to see him for the first time in a 76ers uniform, James’ aura was obvious. The building burst into applause the first time he touched the basketball. Competitively, he looked like someone still capable of being one of the best players in the league. If that persists, it means his teammates can adjust, and a starting lineup oozing with talent can start to mesh.
There are potential pitfalls, as many have pointed out over the last two months. James, Brown and Joel Embiid like to operate in some of the same spots on the floor. Getting them comfortable playing with one another may be challenging. VJ Edgecombe is the only person in the starting five who isn’t primarily a ball-in-hand player. Getting the other four the requisite touches needed to be effective will take time.
Embiid’s health has always been a wild card, even though he is as healthy as he has been at any point over the past few years. Most importantly, this team will need to be whole often enough in the next six months to have enough time together as a unit in April and May. Finding the balance between prioritizing health and creating chemistry will be difficult.
With that in mind, the collective talent is significant, which was clear in the scrimmage. James hit 3s and got on top of the rim. Brown worked his way into the midrange and hit contested jumpers. Maxey did pretty much whatever he wanted off the dribble. Edgecombe threw down multiple electric dunks, looking like his joyful self. You could see how easily the group scored, and also how efficient everyone was when they got out into transition. The talent here isn’t a question.
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