October 29, 2026
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With each passing game, we learn something new about what the 2026-27 Sixers have in their back pockets.
INDIANAPOLIS – Considering they have had the league's most dominant post and interior scorer for nearly a decade now, the Sixers have not had a whole lot of reliable entry passers during Joel Embiid's career. James Harden was one, Nicolas Batum was another. Once upon a time, Embiid had Ben Simmons as a designated entry passer.
But times have changed. Over the last few years, teammates capable of getting Embiid the ball in advantageous positions on the floor have been fleeting. The Sixers have struggled enormously to get Embiid the ball without requiring him to jostle for his preferred spot with the ball. Very little has come easy.
LeBron James will be the best entry passer Embiid ever plays with, bar none. Their two-man partnership is one of many still in its infancy on this new-look team, but in Wednesday night's road win over the Indiana Pacers, James was clearly looking for Embiid early and often.
Whether it was a pocket pass to Embiid at the nail, a traditional pick-and-roll, a pristine entry pass into the post or a high-low pass over a fronting defender, there is no pass to Embiid that James cannot make. On Wednesday, it looked like he made all of them in one night.
As long as the Sixers can simply get Embiid the ball, he will typically be able to generate a good shot, either by forcing the issue himself or trusting the pass. But when he gets fronted on the block, the Sixers can now have James flash to the middle of the floor, catch the ball and put it exactly where it needs to be. That weaponizes not just Embiid's scoring, but the shooting ability of whichever guard is on the wing – in this case, Tyrese Maxey:
LEBRON ASSIST TO JOEL EMBIID BANGGG 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bRe147423t
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) October 28, 2026
"Extremely [valuable], because he's tall, you know what I'm saying? So sometimes, myself, I'm only 6-foot-3, so when they're fronting Joel or different things like that, I can't always see him," Maxey said. "So being able to pass the ball to a guy like LeBron... who could see over the defense and make those passes is really good."
After a bunch of slow starts offensively, Embiid was extremely efficient from the outset on Wednesday, thanks in large part to the tone he was able to set with James' help. James was constantly looking for Embiid and setting him up to decimate a shallow Indiana frontcourt, and it gave the Sixers a real rhythm.
LeBron to Embiid is unstoppable pic.twitter.com/cZrA5kyfpc
— 76ersMuse (@76ersMuse) October 28, 2026
Embiid had his most efficient scoring night of the season on Wednesday, bookending Maxey's fourth-quarter takeover with a pair of spirited spurts of scoring. His return to the nail made it possible – and was largely enabled by James' passing.
"I think where I made my life is in that middle of the floor. That's what I'm good at. That's what I do. I feel like we haven't gone enough to that, but that's probably one thing that we've got to add," Embiid said. "Obviously, having [Harden], you know, probably the best playmaker I've played with so far, always finding me in those pocket passes, and those are my shots. So I feel like we haven't tapped enough into that. So, that start was a good start. Obviously, you've got Bron that can make those plays. Great playmaker. Tyrese is working on that. So, yeah, that's something we can use, because I'm so efficient in that area. So, yeah, we've just got to keep on going and keep getting better."
Embiid is a dominant post force – one of the most proficient ever – and he has largely done that without optimal positioning. Now, James can give him easier chances to put the ball in the basket than he ever has before.
Is James the best post entry passer Embiid has played with?
"Yeah, I mean, Nico is up there. You've got Nico," Embiid said. "I think most of the time, entry passes are more about basketball IQ. Knowing your angles and how to throw the ball. Those two are up there."
James, given his unprecedented blend of height and passing accuracy, routinely executes passes that most players in the history of the NBA simply do not have access to, and he has done it with ease. Forget the height and accuracy, James' feel alone gives him the bandwidth to make reads that do not register with other players.
"Yeah, I think he doesn't need Joel to be wide-wide-open," Nurse said. "If there's a sliver of a lane there or an angle, he can find that, and I think that's huge."
