The 76ers have opened the 2026-27 season looking far more settled than anyone might have expected from a group still figuring itself out. They won their first three games, knocked off the two teams that met in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, and carried a 3-0 start into Sunday night before the Detroit Pistons handed them their first loss.
That setback came with some built-in context: it was the second night of a back-to-back, and Philadelphia was without two starters, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. Even with those caveats, the Sixers’ 3-1 record has them second in the Eastern Conference after the first week, and there’s plenty of reason for optimism in Philadelphia.
Still, one problem has been impossible to ignore. The Sixers have been getting bullied on the glass.
Through four games, Philadelphia has been outrebounded every single night, including a 54-37 gap against Detroit. That’s dragged the team to just 41.5 rebounds per game, which ranks 23rd in the league.
The bigger concern might be how little they’ve done on the offensive boards. The Sixers are averaging only 8.8 offensive rebounds per game, with only the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers averaging fewer.
That kind of missed production matters because it cuts off second-chance opportunities before they ever form. Philadelphia is averaging just 14 second-chance points per game, a number that lands in the bottom third of the NBA.
The issue isn’t only that the Sixers aren’t creating extra possessions for themselves. They’re also handing too many right back to opponents.
Philadelphia is allowing 14 offensive rebounds per game, and those boards have translated into 20 second-chance points per game for the other side. That puts the Sixers among the teams giving up the most second-chance scoring in the early going.
Some of that can be traced to the injury list. Reserve big man Ariel Hukporti tore his Achilles in preseason and is out for the season. Dominick Barlow and two-way player Tacko Fall have also been sidelined since the start of the year, and both would have been candidates to help on the glass when healthy.
But the roster itself is part of the equation, too. This isn’t a frontcourt loaded with size, and there’s not much Philadelphia can do about that right now. The team can’t add a player until December because of salary cap restrictions, which leaves internal improvement as the only real path forward.
When asked about the fix, star forward LeBron James kept it simple and light, invoking Taurean Prince’s well-known Baylor quote.
"In the great words of Taurean Prince… the ball goes up into the air, and then you go grab the ball," James said (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "That's what [we have to do]."
It drew a laugh, but if the Sixers keep losing the rebounding battle at this rate, it’s the kind of issue that won’t stay funny for long.
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Sixers First Loss Exposed An Early Concern Fans Cant Ignore
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Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe and Jabari Walker were all unavailable, leaving Philadelphia short-handed against a Pistons team that kept rolling behind Cade Cunninghams 26 points. Detroit moved to 3-0 with the win, while the Sixers were left with a reminder that even early in the season, availability can shape the ceiling of this group as much as talent does. [Read more 🡒]