LeBron James is expected to make his Philadelphia debut Thursday night when the 76ers visit the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in a preseason game, according to ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin.
If James is on the floor, he won’t be alone. The report says the full projected starting five is set to play together for the first time, giving Philadelphia a chance to finally roll out the group fans have been waiting to see.
That unit has already taken shape in pieces. James, former MVP center Joel Embiid and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey all sat out Monday’s preseason opener against the New York Knicks, while trade acquisition Jaylen Brown and second-year guard VJ Edgecombe drew the start and helped carry the Sixers to a 120-97 win with a combined 34 points.
Even without James and Embiid in uniform, their names still became part of the conversation Monday. ESPN broadcaster Mike Breen said during the exhibition that Embiid had arrived to a recent Sixers practice “a couple minutes late” and that James “let him hear it.”
James later denied the story, and head coach Nick Nurse also dismissed it on Wednesday. Breen then apologized Wednesday and said he was “so disappointed how the story was interpreted.”
Philadelphia has two more preseason games after Thursday’s trip to Brooklyn. The Sixers head to Boston to face the rival Celtics on Saturday, then host Jayson Tatum and company on Oct. 16.
The regular season comes next, with Philadelphia opening Oct. 20 on the road against the defending-champion New York Knicks.
The expectations around this group are obvious. Philadelphia hasn’t won a championship since 1983 and hasn’t reached the NBA Finals since 2001, but with James and Brown joining an already loaded starting lineup, the buzz around the Sixers is as loud as it’s been in years.
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