Kwame Brown didn’t hold back after the 76ers’ preseason loss to the Nets, using the game to take aim at both LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
Philadelphia dropped a 114-108 decision on Thursday in the first preseason game that had James, Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey all sharing the floor. James put up 10 points, four rebounds and five assists.
Brown scored 18 points and went 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. Maxey finished with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Embiid, though, struggled badly, going for six points on 1-for-5 shooting with eight turnovers.
A day later, Brown posted a video and zeroed in on James’ defense.
"On the defensive end, he walked a little bit, complained about fouls like he normally does," Brown said about James. "That can't work.
He still looks like a defensive liability to me. I was higher on Philly when LeBron was out.
Brown also said James needs to bring more than ball movement, and he wasn’t sold on the four-time champion as a point-forward for Philadelphia.
He had even sharper criticism for Embiid.
"Embiid was abysmal; he had eight turnovers. ... Only six points," he said about Embiid.
"Embiid, we already know he starts (off) slow. You can't really count that in the preseason.
But Embiid is under a microscope."
Brown added that Embiid doesn’t have the luxury of easing into form. In his view, the 76ers star has to make an immediate impact.
James, meanwhile, sounded like a player aware that the group still has a long way to go. For Philadelphia, this is the first time most of the roster has been on the same team with the four-time MVP, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope the lone exception after three seasons together with the Lakers.
After the loss, James said the chemistry is still a work in progress.
“It’s obviously a small sample size,” he said. “We’re still trying to learn each other on the floor.
We’re still trying to put each other in a position to be successful and complement each other the best way we can out on the floor. It’s going to take some time.”
James also said that playing for the 76ers "felt a little different." He is adjusting to Nick Nurse’s system while getting comfortable with new teammates.
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