LeBron James may not be filling the box score the way some expect, but in Philadelphia’s preseason, his value has already shown up in a different place: the flow of the offense.
That became clear in the 76ers’ 125-120 loss to the Boston Celtics, where Nick Nurse and his staff appeared to settle on a primary playmaking job for James. The message was obvious from the way the game unfolded.
Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey all finished with more shot attempts than James, who took only 9 field-goal tries. Even so, his 7 assists in roughly 24 minutes pointed to a different assignment.
He was there to set the table.
That fits James’ profile. Over his career, he has averaged 7.4 assists per game, and the passing side of his game has never been in doubt.
For Philadelphia, the real test is whether a player entering his 24th season can embrace a role that puts other scorers first. Early evidence says yes.
There’s still plenty of noise around James whenever he changes teams, especially the idea that a roster has to revolve around him. But his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers offered a different picture.
With Luka Doncic’s arrival signaling the end of James as the franchise centerpiece, he averaged 20.9 points on 15.3 shots per game, the lowest usage and scoring numbers of his career. Even with that lighter offensive load, he still produced 7.2 assists per game.
That track record suggests James understands exactly where he is in his career. He knows he’s in the twilight of it, and if he wants another ring, he doesn’t have to be the top scorer every night. What he can still be is a high-end organizer, one whose vision changes the way a team functions.
Philadelphia hasn’t had that kind of natural playmaker since the James Harden era. That’s why this role makes sense, and why it already looks like the Sixers have found a cleaner balance with James running the offense. The preseason results haven’t matched championship dreams, but Nurse’s blueprint has at least made one thing clear: James is being asked to create, not dominate the shot chart.
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