The Philadelphia 76ers have a frontcourt problem, and Sunday night put it in plain view. They started LeBron James at center instead of Adem Bona, and the experiment never really caught fire. James tried to handle the assignment, but Detroit made life miserable on the glass and exposed just how awkward that spot can be for him at this stage of his career.
After the game, James leaned on one of Taurean Prince’s lines to sum up the simplest part of rebounding.
“In the great words of Taurean Prince … the ball goes up into the air, and then you go grab the ball,” James said.
That was the basic task, and Philadelphia still couldn’t solve it. Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin noted that the Pistons controlled the boards, with Collins and former Sixers big man Paul Reed leading the charge, while James struggled to keep Detroit away from second chances.
Carlin also wrote, “Playing center, it was a tough start for James. There are moments when one realizes that for as great as James is, he is still 41 and he doesn’t jump as high or move as fast as he once did.
The Pistons were dominant on the glass led by Collins and former Sixers big man Paul Reed as James was not able to keep them off the boards,”
That kind of night only sharpens the bigger question hanging over the 76ers: what happens if Joel Embiid’s availability keeps being an issue? His injury history makes it hard to bank on him every game, and that’s where CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn floated a possible path forward involving Myles Turner.
“He's an overpaid veteran on a rebuilding team, yet we keep coming back to that supply-demand imbalance at center. That goes double for shooting centers, as the league's renewed focus on offensive rebounding has really raised the bar on which bigs can actually get away with spacing the floor.
Turner certainly can, and the hope is that he can bounce back to his Indiana form on a better team. He's something of a "wait and see" trade candidate.
If Embiid gets hurt again and the Sixers are willing to attach draft capital to move him, something involving Turner makes sense,” Quinn said.
Turner would bring a different kind of presence to Philadelphia’s front line. He’s a rim protector, and he can also space the floor with his three-point shot. Embiid gives the 76ers a wider offensive package, but Turner would offer athleticism and a different look at center.
Trading Embiid would be a major call, especially with him as one of the franchise’s longest-tenured players. Still, if his health remains a recurring concern, Philadelphia may have to consider whether a steadier center solution is the better bet.
In Other News...
Kelly Oubre Is Giving Sixers Fans A Familiar Feeling In Indiana
Kelly Oubre Jr. landed in Indiana on a two-year contract hoping for a fresh start, but his first two games have looked awfully familiar to anyone who watched him in Philadelphia. He has averaged 3.5 points, two rebounds and 2.5 assists while struggling badly from the field and beyond the arc, a rough opening that has already put his shot selection and rhythm back under the microscope.
For Sixers fans, the early returns may feel like dj vu because the same outside-shooting issues followed Oubre through three seasons in Philadelphia, where he hit just 32 percent from three. If that trend keeps up with the Pacers, his fit there could become a much tougher sell, and his value may shrink as Indiana tries to sort out where he fits in the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Embiid May Have Found What Unlocks The 76ers Offense
Joel Embiids offensive role has shifted in a way that could matter a great deal for the 76ers, especially as Nick Nurse keeps looking for cleaner ways to organize the attack. Instead of living almost entirely as a finisher on the block, Embiid has been used more at the top of the key and in the high post, where he can see the floor and set up teammates. The result has been a more varied offense, with Embiid averaging a career-high 5.7 assists per game while taking fewer shot attempts.
The change has also given Philadelphia a different kind of fallback when the offense bogs down. Embiid handled primary playmaking duties in a recent game in which LeBron James was out, and he responded with a triple-double, a reminder that his value does not have to come only from scoring. For the 76ers, the real question is whether this expanded role can keep unlocking the same kind of balance when the games get tighter and the defensive attention gets heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Drama Is Giving 76ers Fans A New Reason To Watch Boston
Boston drama has a way of lingering well beyond the Celtics own fan base, and this latest round around Jaylen Brown has given 76ers followers another reason to keep one eye on their biggest rival. Brian Scalabrine, speaking on his Sirius XM show, said Brown reportedly wanted a trade out of Boston and had interest in Milwaukee, adding another layer to the long-running conversation about the Celtics locker room and the uneasy balance between Brown and Jayson Tatum.
For Philadelphia fans, the intrigue is less about confirming the rumor and more about what it says about a team the Sixers may still have to measure themselves against in the East. There has been plenty of outside chatter about competitive tension inside Boston, but no official statement has backed up a trade request, which leaves the whole thing in the realm of speculation for now. Even so, any hint of friction in Celtic land is the sort of storyline that tends to keep the scoreboard-watching a little more interesting in Philly. [Read more 🡒]