Nick Nurse is giving the 76ers’ starters one more real run before the games start counting.
Ahead of Friday night’s preseason finale against the Boston Celtics, Nurse said the plan is to keep the core group on the floor into the second half so they can get more rhythm together before the regular season opens next week. He also made it clear that the workload won’t be heavy after halftime.
"I think the plan is, and it's always fluid and flexible, we would like to get the majority of them in until the second half, I think," Nurse said. "It's now time to play.
Go in at halftime, come back out and get ready to go again. Just again to start seeing what that feels like, and then it's probably fairly short after that."
That approach fits where Philadelphia is right now. The team has been trying to build chemistry with a new-look roster without asking too much of players whose bodies have already logged plenty of miles.
Key contributors for the 76ers, including LeBron James and Joel Embiid, have each appeared in only one preseason game. Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey have played in two.
Even then, nobody has been asked to do much on the floor, which is why Friday should bring a noticeable bump in minutes for the starters.
It’s been a tricky line for Nurse to walk all preseason. He wants his group to get comfortable together in live action, but he also doesn’t want to push them harder than necessary before the grind of the regular season begins. That tension is especially obvious with players like James and Embiid, who have a lot of wear on them already.
A longer stint on Friday could at least give the starters a chance to settle in, get some timing right and carry a cleaner version of their game into opening night. Of course, there’s always risk attached when key players are on the floor, and any injury in a preseason game would make the decision look worse in hindsight. But some risk comes with the territory, and Philadelphia seems willing to accept that in order to get the group moving in the same direction.
That matters even more with the start of the season coming against the reigning champion Knicks on Tuesday. Madison Square Garden is already a tough place to walk into, and the title celebration will only turn up the volume. If the Sixers are going to go in there and beat the current champs, having the starters a little more synced up after Friday’s finale could help.
Exactly how long the main group stays out there is still unclear, but Nurse’s comments point toward a meaningful dose of preseason action rather than a quick cameo.
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