LeBron James set to make Sixers debut in preseason game against Brooklyn Nets
Sixers fans previously got a taste of James on the court in Sixers gear when the team held its annual Blue x White scrimmage on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Thursday will be the first time LeBron James takes the floor in a 76ers uniform.
James won’t be alone. Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he expects all five starters to be available for the team’s preseason game in Brooklyn against the Nets. Among those also scheduled to play are Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe.
Nurse also shared that he expects the starters to play about half the game, mirroring the minutes of Brown and Edgecombe in the Sixers’ 120-97 win over the Knicks on Monday. Brown had 22 points in 17 minutes and Edgecombe posted 12 points and seven assists in 20 minutes.
While his regular-season debut will come Oct. 20 against the Knicks, Thursday’s game will be the first time fans get to see James in game action alongside some of his teammates.
They got a taste of James on the court in Sixers gear when the team held its annual Blue x White scrimmage on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Those who are out include Anfernee Simons (right hamstring), Adem Bona (left foot sprain) and Dominick Barlow (back). Simons, Bona and Barlow are also expected to be out for Saturday’s game at Boston.
» READ MORE: The latest Sixers ‘noise’: LeBron James denies calling out Joel Embiid for being late
After Wednesday’s practice coach Nick Nurse talked about the balance he and the team were weighing playing its regular contributors in the preseason in the wake of Ariel Hukporti’s Achilles injury.
Nurse said sitting players out for the entire preseason, and then having them go full speed once the season begins may end up doing more harm than good. He brought up the number of injuries that still happen early in NFL seasons when players may not play much or at all in preseason games.
“Guys are getting hurt anyway and they’re like, ‘Wait, are they getting hurt because they didn’t condition themselves in the [preseason]?’ So it’s interesting because everybody’s talking about it across multiple sports,” Nurse said. “It doesn’t make much sense to me that you sit out all the games and all of a sudden it’s going 100 miles an hour in game one, because the pace is even over 100 early in the year.”
After an exciting Sixers offseason highlighted by the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, join Inquirer beat writers Gina Mizell and Chris Hine for a preview of the season. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
