LeBron James opened his Philadelphia 76ers run with a box score that looked a lot like the kind of all-around line the league has come to expect from him: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in a 106-100 win over the defending-champion New York Knicks on NBA opening night.
It wasn’t spotless, but it was enough to tilt the night Philadelphia’s way. And for a first game in a new uniform, the biggest takeaway was how quickly James already started shaping the Sixers in multiple ways.
The cleanest part of the debut came in his playmaking. James had led Philadelphia in assists in both preseason games he appeared in, and that carried right into the opener.
Against New York, his seven assists were a team high, and the number could easily have been higher if a few teammates had converted open looks. That’s the part of James’ game that translates anywhere: he creates advantages almost by instinct, and Philadelphia already has the best passer on its roster doing exactly that.
The rebounding was just as useful. James finished as the Sixers’ second-leading rebounder, with only starting center Joel Embiid collecting more.
That matters for a team that doesn’t have a roster full of obvious glass-eaters. James has long been reliable on the boards from the forward spot, and in Philadelphia that trait can do real damage by creating extra possessions.
It also feeds the transition game, since James can turn a defensive rebound into a fast break in a blink.
His versatility showed up too, even if it won’t be the headline every night. With Dominick Barlow and Dean Wade out, Philadelphia was thin in the frontcourt, and James spent stretches as the de facto center in small-ball lineups against the Knicks.
The defense didn’t appear to take a major hit in those moments, and the setup gave the Sixers more switchability across the floor. It’s not something the team should need from him often, but it’s a valuable option to have.
The one clear issue was his work from deep. James missed all three of his three-point tries, even with some open looks.
Long-range shooting has never been the centerpiece of his game, but he has improved over time and is far better than that first-night output suggested. He’s a career 34 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and that’s the level the Sixers should expect more often this season.
There was some overall rust in the scoring line as well. James went 5 of 13 from the field, and the fit with a brand-new team can take a little time to settle in. Even so, 14 points won’t be enough in every matchup, so finding the right scoring rhythm in Philly will matter.
Still, for a debut, the positives carried the night.
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76ers Already Have A Joel Embiid Problem They Couldnt Hide
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Philadelphias depth chart at the position now feels like something worth watching closely, especially if the early-season rotation has to lean on stopgap answers more than expected. The Sixers can live with a lot when Embiid is on the floor, but the opener showed how quickly the matchup can tilt once he is not, and it left an obvious question hanging over the roster: whether this team will need to find more reliable help at center before those minutes decide a game again. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Nurse Still Has A Knicks Grudge The 76ers Havent Settled
The 76ers have already made their presence felt against New York once this season, walking out of Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 win that spoiled the Knicks ring and banner ceremony. For Philadelphia, it was more than just an early-season road victory. It was the kind of result that still carries some extra edge for a team that has spent time looking back at what happened against the Knicks in the playoffs.
Nick Nurse has not completely let go of that loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the frustration around it still lingers as the two teams measure themselves again. Philadelphia has also reworked its roster with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the mix, giving the club more ways to navigate the season if Joel Embiid misses time. Even so, the Knicks remain a familiar source of unfinished business for a coach who clearly has not moved on from the last postseason meeting. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Reopened An Uncomfortable 76ers Debate
Paul Georges first night in Boston looked a lot like the kind of performance the 76ers spent a season hoping to see more often. In the Celtics season opener, George poured in 38 points and added five rebounds, three assists and five steals, immediately looking like a player with more room to operate than he ever consistently found in Philadelphia. The fit was different from the start, with Boston putting him in a larger role and giving him the freedom to play like a primary option alongside Jayson Tatum.
For the 76ers, it reopened an uncomfortable question about what exactly went wrong during Georges time in Philadelphia. Injuries were part of the answer, but so were the team dynamics around him, which never seemed to let his game breathe in the way it did against his new backdrop. If this is the beginning of a resurgence, it only sharpens the sense that the Sixers may have watched a different version of George emerge just as he moved on. [Read more 🡒]