LeBron James scores 10 on 76ers debut as Brooklyn Nets win preseason game

LeBron James scored 10 points on his Philadelphia 76ers debut on Thursday, October 8, but the Brooklyn Nets won the preseason game 114-108. The game in New York gave Philadelphia its first look at James alongside his new teammates before the regular season begins; it also showed why he says the group will need time to settle.

James added four rebounds, five assists and a steal in about 18 minutes, all in the first half. The NBA’s game recap put Brooklyn at 2-0 in preseason play and Philadelphia at 1-1 after the result. Those records describe exhibition games, with the 76ers still due to play twice more before their regular-season opener.

What James did in his first 76ers game

James made his only field-goal attempt and all eight free throws, according to the Guardian’s agencies report. It was a short first appearance: his playing time ended at halftime, leaving the rest of the game to show how Philadelphia’s lineup performed without him on the floor. His five assists all came in the first quarter, the report said.

He played with Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, who joined Philadelphia from Boston. Brown led the 76ers with 18 points. For a team bringing James into a new group, the opening half offered a first game together, while the final score reflected a full contest that James played for only 18 minutes.

James and Nick Nurse on the new lineup

James said the players were still learning how to work together. “We’re still trying to put each other in the position to be successful and complement each other the best way we can on the floor. But it’s going to take some time,” he said, according to BBC Sport. He called the outing “a good sample size for us to build on.”

Coach Nick Nurse also described a mixed first outing for the starters. The Guardian reported that he pointed to back cuts and passing among the encouraging moments, alongside turnovers and “clunky segments.” Nurse treated those passages as things to learn from in preseason, when the players had their first chance to appear together in a game.

Those assessments fit the limited evidence of one exhibition. James contributed as a scorer and passer in his brief appearance, and Philadelphia still lost. Neither the individual numbers nor the team result settles how the lineup will perform once regular-season games begin. James and Nurse both identified the work of finding a better fit among the starters.

How James arrived in Philadelphia

James joined the 76ers in July after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Guardian reported that he announced a two-year, $8 million agreement with Philadelphia. He enters a record-extending 24th NBA season as the league’s all-time leading scorer, bringing a long championship record to a team seeking its first title since 1983.

His four NBA championships came with three teams: two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one with the Lakers. That history helps explain the attention on his first 76ers appearance, although it offers no guarantee about this season. The immediate question for Philadelphia is how its established players and new arrivals work together on court.

James had already acknowledged the attention around the team. At its media day, he said it would be “doubled, tripled and quadrupled now that I’m here,” according to the Guardian. The focus on his debut is therefore part of the setting for Philadelphia’s preseason, as the team tries to assess its play with a changed lineup.

What comes next for the 76ers

Philadelphia had two preseason games remaining, both against Boston, when the Guardian reported on the Brooklyn result. Its regular-season opener was scheduled for October 20 against the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Those games will provide further opportunities for James and his teammates to play together after a debut that lasted only one half.

The Brooklyn loss leaves a narrow but clear account of the first test: James produced 10 points and five assists, Brown led Philadelphia’s scoring, and the Nets’ third quarter helped decide the game. What remains open is how the 76ers’ new group will play across a full regular-season contest. James’s own assessment was that the process would take time.