October 4, 2026 · By The Sports Nus Staff · 4 min read
Update, Oct 5: the 76ers are sitting LeBron, Embiid and Maxey for tonight's preseason opener against the Knicks. Full story here.
LeBron James is not treating the 76ers' preseason like a vacation. Asked about the exhibition slate ahead of Monday's opener against the New York Knicks, the 41-year-old said he wants real minutes to find a rhythm with his new teammates.
"It will be good to get out there with some of our guys to just get a rhythm," James said. "At the same time, also not overdo it, because we're putting a lot into our practices right now, fine-tuning what we want to do once the [regular season] games come, but there'll be opportunities when we get out there in the preseason."
via Sixers Wire / USA Today
The week ahead, in context
- Monday, 7 PM ET: the 76ers host the Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena to open the preseason for both teams.
- Four preseason games, then the real thing: the regular season opens October 20 at Madison Square Garden against the defending-champion Knicks on ring night.
- Saturday's Blue x White scrimmage drew more than 10,000 fans to Xfinity Mobile Arena. James called it a "great first step."
- The new core: James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe under head coach Nick Nurse, who gave the squad Sunday off.
The chemistry question
The entire season in Philadelphia hinges on one question: how fast do the new pieces fit? Early signs are encouraging. After Saturday's scrimmage, James said building chemistry with Embiid has "been great," crediting their time together as teammates with Team USA at the 2024 Olympics. On the court it already shows: James fed Embiid for a three-pointer during the scrimmage, a preview of the two-man game the Sixers are banking on.
via Bleacher Report
Nurse is running camp as a collaboration, not a lecture. He has been asking players for their input on the offensive approach instead of only dictating sets. It is the same veteran-friendly style he used managing Kawhi Leonard's workload during the 2019 title run in Toronto, and it is built for a 24th-season superstar who reads the game faster than any playbook.
The betting angle
The books already priced the hype: Philadelphia opened around +850 to win the title, a number built on star math, not health math. Monday's opener will not change that price much no matter what LeBron does in 20 preseason minutes, and that is the point. Do not pay retail on the Sixers off one viral highlight from an exhibition game. The value question is the same one it was at media day: can a core this old and this new stay healthy and gel by April? If you believe the answer is yes, +850 is interesting. If you do not, it is a pass either way. Let the public chase the preseason box scores and take your stance when the real games start.