October 16, 2026
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LeBron James played in preseason action in front of his new home fans on Friday night.
PHILADELPHIA – Between their five starters in Friday night's preseason finale, the Sixers had a wealth of experience and accomplishments: 62 years of NBA experience (138,518 minutes), 26 All-Star appearances, seven NBA Finals victories and five NBA Finals MVPs. Their opponents, the Boston Celtics, started a group of players owning just one game (25 minutes) of NBA experience.
So, not much about the Sixers' dress rehearsal was a representation of what is to come in the season ahead, even when Boston eventually brought some of its quality younger reserves into the game. The Sixers did not get a look at their full projected starting lineup; VJ Edgecombe was among a group of six players not suiting up. While quite a few key reserves are battling ailments, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Edgecombe simply needed some rest after playing in the team's first three preseason games and participating in many rigorous practices.
In any case, the Sixers' fourth and final preseason game was the last chance to get somewhat of a glimpse of what their new-look roster will look like on the court.
Takeaways from a 125-120 Sixers overtime loss in the final exhibition:
• This moment before tip-off might have been more interesting than anything that happened during the game: Matt Cord, the Sixers' legendary public address announcer, back for one final season, introducing the starting five for the first time:
LeBron James did the thing at the end. Matt Cord… pic.twitter.com/tPFr9g0lAK
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) October 16, 2026
• LeBron James' first basket in this one came as a result of his defensive acumen. He read Boston's sideline-out-of-bounds play perfectly, forced a turnover and took off. Tyrese Maxey tossed a lob, and James did the rest:
Rese ➡️ Bron ➡️ OOP! pic.twitter.com/KbXsRjKtw4
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 16, 2026
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope started over Dean Wade, and while Caldwell-Pope fits better as an Edgecombe replacement in terms of nominal position, the Sixers should start Wade when any of their four perimeter-oriented players is sidelined during the regular season. The guess here: as part of the dress rehearsal of sorts going on, Nurse opted to keep Wade as part of his first substitution of the game to simulate what Wade's role will be on opening night.
• Like during last week's game in Brooklyn, which served as the unveiling for the Sixers' starting five, Jaylen Brown often looked lost in the shuffle when playing with the Sixers' other stars. But late in the first quarter, Nurse empowered Brown to fire away. He played with four reserves, with rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. functioning as the primary ball-handler of the group. Brown immediately toggled from an off-ball, defensive-oriented role to one built around self-created scoring. Facing some of his former teammates, Brown was extremely aggressive on both ends of the floor.
• Try to believe this one: Joel Embiid is the Sixers' only healthy center right now. Nurse should have Adem Bona back sooner rather than later; perhaps the Sixers will add a bruising big man with their vacant two-way spot in the coming days. But he has leaned on small-ball, using Jabari Walker and Dean Wade as his centers when Embiid has not been available. Nurse has mentioned James as an option at the five, too, though, and on Friday he slid all the way up to center. James shared the floor with Wade, Brown and a pair of guards. While the Sixers' small-ball lineups will be undersized at center, they will have tons of muscle elsewhere.
• Walker has arguably been the primary standout of preseason, going from a theoretical option at center to a proven commodity there.
"I think naturally, I'm a four. That's what I work out as most," Walker said after Friday's morning shootaround. "I feel comfortable in the corner, shooting the threes, and getting off the catch and just moving around the perimeter. But as the five, I'm starting to be comfortable with setting picks and popping and setting harder screens, and it's just a different mentality. But every day I'm getting better at something, right? So that's what they need from me. I think to rebound at that level, I play physical, so it's right up my alley. I can figure it out."
Walker got his first minutes at the four all preseason in the second quarter, helping fill in the gaps for a lineup built around Maxey, James and Embiid. Walker was predictably and characteristically extremely active on the offensive glass and was the beneficiary of a remarkable long-range pass from James.
• Two preseason games, two turnover-happy performances for Embiid, still trying to feel his way into these games. Embiid acknowledged after his eight-turnover performance in his preseason debut that these showings are common for him at the beginning of the year. The Sixers will hope he has shaken off enough rust after committing another four turnovers on Friday.
In fairness, Embiid was a whole lot better this time around – after another bad start, the former NBA MVP heated up – but his lack of crisp execution was obviously notable at times. Also notable: Embiid was camped out beyond the arc often and pulled the trigger on five first-half attempts from three-point territory. He finally settled in his last two or three stints, comfortably dominating in the middle of the floor.
MORE: Does Jaylen Brown have a new home in the dunker spot?
• Particularly given that the Celtics' best players did not even travel to Philadelphia for this game, the Sixers' primary objective on Friday was to get out of dodge without suffering any additional injuries. With a minute and change left in the first half, Wade appeared to turn his ankle – he is an injury-prone player with ankle issues in his past – and moved gingerly until the Sixers could get him out of the game. Wade went to the locker room and was one of the only Sixers not warming up during halftime. He did not play in the second half.
Dean Wade rolled his ankle, Nick Nurse said. “Not major concern.”
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) October 17, 2026
• On the first play of the second half, Embiid left his feet to challenge an ambitious poster dunk attempt. He pulled it off successfully, igniting a James-led transition. The NBA's all-time leading scorer found Brown near the basket for an easy layup. Embiid's defense may be the swing factor of this entire Sixers season, while James' ability to power what could be an elite transition offense may be the Sixers' stabilizer.
• Nurse wanted his key players to get back used to sitting for a 15-minute halftime and then returning to action, so all of his starters stayed in the game to begin the second half. Embiid continued to improve as the game went on, and a few minutes into the third quarter he provided the highlight of the night, faking a handoff and throwing down an emphatic, contested one-handed slam:
JOEL EMBIID. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/hM7atAFC55
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 17, 2026
• Caldwell-Pope had a terrific sequence midway through the third quarter, knocking down a corner triple, notching a steal, laying in an easy two and drawing an offensive foul all in a row. The decorated veteran appears primed to open the season in the rotation.
• The only Sixers starter to play in the fourth was Brown; he opened the quarter with a quick stint, once again leading a unit otherwise solely comprised of reserves with Philon serving as the primary ball-handler. Brown had a middling offensive performance by his standards, but his rebounding stood out a decent bit. Especially given Embiid's limitations on the boards in recent years, it is imperative the Sixers rebound as a team; Brown might be the best rebounder in the starting lineup relative to the average at their position. His strength and athleticism should make for a helpful combination as the Sixers try to cobble together enough rebounds to get by.
Up next: The Sixers' regular-season opener is on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
