LeBron James finally checked off one box he had never hit before in his NBA career: a start at center.
That first came during the Philadelphia 76ers’ regular-season matchup with the Detroit Pistons, a strange little wrinkle for a player in Year 24 whose résumé already looks like a checklist of things most stars never touch. James has spent his career roaming across the floor, from two-guard in Cleveland to power forward in Miami, to point guard in his second Cleveland stint, and later as the engine of the Lakers’ pick-and-roll game alongside Anthony Davis. But until now, the five spot had been the one position he had never started at.
Coach Nick Nurse made the call with a roster that can cover plenty of ground elsewhere. Tyrese Maxey and V.J.
Edgecombe bring guard play, Jaylen Brown can handle the wing, and the lineup had Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at shooting guard and Dean Wade at power forward. That left James as the center in the starting five.
The task is a different kind of grind. Playing the five means dealing with screens, moving without the ball, and banging on the glass. It is not the sort of assignment that usually fits into James’ usual operating mode.
And the opening half against the Pistons showed the adjustment was real. Through 15 minutes, James had five points while shooting 16.7% from the field, 25% from the free-throw line, and 0% from three. Detroit also forced him into three turnovers.
There were a few positives - he did have three assists - but Nurse did not wait long to make a change, putting Adem Bona back at center.
The rebounding gap told the same story. Philadelphia was down 31-19 on the boards and had only three offensive rebounds through nearly two quarters.
Career firsts are supposed to come with some kind of payoff. This one, at least so far, has looked like a reminder of why the Heat, Cavaliers and Lakers never stuck with James at center for long.
In Other News...
Jaylen Brown Keeps Sixers Fans Watching This Celtics Drama
Even after the Celtics have moved on to other business, the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum storyline still has a way of finding an audience in Philadelphia. Browns latest response to Tatums insistence that there is no animosity between them only added another layer to a relationship that has followed both players beyond Boston, especially now that Brown is wearing Sixers colors and any friction between the two is suddenly relevant to a different fan base.
Brown did not exactly close the door on the subject, instead pointing to Tatums public relations team and stopping short of saying he wants to clear the air privately. The bigger mystery is still the same one hanging over the exchange: the two stars have different versions of how much Tatum knew about Browns move from the Celtics to the Sixers, and neither has laid out the full story. For Sixers fans, it is a reminder that this is not just old Celtics drama. It is a subplot tied directly to one of their most prominent players. [Read more 🡒]
Nets 0-2 Start Still Brought A Promising Sign Fans Needed
Even in a 0-2 start, Brooklyn has had at least one encouraging development to point to, and it has come from the kind of young talent that can keep a fan base engaged through the early grind of a season. Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. both showed flashes that suggested the Nets may have something worth building on, even if the results have not followed yet.
For a Philadelphia team watching the East unfold around it, that kind of early growth across the conference matters, especially with Joel Embiid set to miss a game while managing plantar fasciitis. The Sixers have their own health concerns to track, and while the Nets are still searching for their first win, the emergence of a couple of promising pieces gives Brooklyn at least one reason to stay patient. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Just Added Real Heat To The Sixers Celtics Rivalry
Jaylen Brown has given the 76ers-Celtics rivalry a little extra edge before the season even gets rolling. Brown, now on Philadelphias side of the ledger, weighed in on Jayson Tatums reaction to Brown being traded to the Sixers and suggested his former Celtics teammate was not fully candid about it. The comments only add to a relationship that has long carried more complexity than the usual former-teammates reunion.
Now the spotlight shifts to the calendar, with Philadelphia and Boston set to see each other multiple times in the regular season and the first meeting coming Nov. 10. Brown also told Tatum to stay ready, which is the kind of line that tends to linger when two stars with a complicated history are headed for repeated head-to-head matchups. For the Sixers, it turns a familiar Eastern Conference showdown into something with a little more personal bite. [Read more 🡒]