How The Philadelphia Sixers’ LeBron James At Center Experiment Started In A 25-7 Hole

The Sixers tried something new on Sunday night, and it did not take long to see the cost. With Joel Embiid resting, coach Nick Nurse started LeBron James at center against the Pistons. Detroit was missing two starters of its own, so it looked like a good night to experiment. Instead, Philadelphia dug a deep hole in the first few minutes. The Sixers fought back, but they ran out of time and took their first loss of the season.

The LeBron-at-center idea

Nurse started Tyrese Maxey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jaylen Brown, James and Dean Wade. It was a small group, and the plan was to let the 41-year-old run things from the post and pass out of it. “I think he's fine there,” Nurse said before the game.

The Sixers did not have many choices. Embiid sat for plantar fasciitis management on the second night of a back-to-back, and he was not happy about it. He had just posted a triple-double against Milwaukee, and he asked the media for help. “I actually want to play tomorrow, so can you guys put pressure on them?” Embiid said. The team said no. He has not played more than 40 games in a season since 2022-23, so Philadelphia chose to be careful.

Nurse said his injury list was full of “fours and fives,” with Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker and Tacko Fall also out. VJ Edgecombe was a late scratch with a sore stomach after taking a knee to the midsection.

How the hole got dug

The early returns were poor. Nobody in the opening group was credited with a defensive rebound, and the Pistons raced to a 25-7 lead. They had 12 second-chance points in the first quarter alone, even without starting center Jalen Duren. Philadelphia trailed 34-22 after one.

Things only turned when Adem Bona checked in. He grabbed six rebounds in the first quarter, more than the rest of the team had, and he finished with six points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes. Even so, the Sixers' halfcourt offense stayed stuck through the first half, and they went to the locker room down 56-44 after a late 9-0 run.

They kept coming in the second half and cut a 21-point deficit to four. They could not finish it. Brown missed 15 of his 20 shots and scored 16, and the team made just 7 of 27 threes and 14 of 23 free throws. James had 18 points and five assists, and Maxey led Philadelphia with 29. Cade Cunningham scored 26 for Detroit, and the Pistons won 106-93.

At 3-1, the Sixers got a preview of life without Embiid. The test of James at center ended with one clear lesson: this group needs a rebounder.