CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers have only seen their projected starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid play one preseason game together, but the results were encouraging against the Brooklyn Nets. The offense was humming as James was directing traffic and the Nets couldn't stop it.
Now, when also considering it's just preseason and it was the Nets, the Sixers know there is a lot of work to do. That group has been able to get reps in at practice throughout the exhibition schedule, but coach Nick Nurse is just looking to get everybody on the same page at the moment.
"I think it's early is what I'm observing," said Nurse. "You obviously see some really good things. You see some timing on some cuts.
You see these guys reading situations. You see we're letting things unfold a little bit, kind of late game into practice and watching kind of what they're seeing and where they're heading with the ball and all that kind of stuff. So I think it's pretty early."
With that being said, it's hard not to get excited about what that group can do. James, Maxey, Brown, and Embiid all averaged 20-plus points in the 2025-26 season. Granted, they all had different roles than what they'll have now, but Philadelphia is looking to lean on those four as it heads into the season. They can score at such a high clip.
"I think it's hard to defend because you got a lot of guys that can score the basketball, and I think that even if there's nothing developing, somebody just rises up and hits a shot," Nurse added. "That's important, right? It's important, but I think it's pretty early. I think there's some awfully good signs. I think there's lots of ways to move the pieces on the same set. We talk about a lot, but we're in early days for all that stuff, so it's good. It's nice. We got some time, and we're going to watch that unfold, and it will continue to unfold as the season progresses."
Even in practice, the second unit has had trouble stopping the starting lineup from scoring. Not from a lack of effort, but because that group is just so talented that there isn't much the bench unit can really do. There's too much talent to try and stop.
"As a second unit, we were out there, and we're picking up," said Dean Wade. "It's not like we're messing up on defense at all. Like, they are just creating good shots every single time, and it's like OK, they throw it into Jo on the block, and like we're gonna double, but who you gonna double from? It's like they're cutting on the backside, they're spacing."
This group will need some time to really jell and get on the same page and such, but the Sixers are certainly going to be able to lean on them and rely on them to score and do it efficiently. Teams are going to have such a hard time trying to slow them down on a regular basis.
"I feel like, especially like today, it's like impossible to keep those guys out of the paint, keep them out of the extra shot, extra sprays, and everything. It’s tough, you know?" Wade expanded. "When they're all like super engaged and flowing like they were today, they are a tough team to deal with."
On top of their ruthless scoring ability, the Sixers have a starting unit that is incredibly unselfish and they all have a high basketball IQ. Even young Edgecombe entering his second season can find a way to make it work.
"I think we're just playing unselfish," Edgecombe explained. "We're just playing unselfish basketball and everyone's just moving in space. And yeah, I think that's what it is, man. Just being unselfish, playing with no egos, just having fun. Being able—like, we're all just happy to share the floor with one another."
The Sixers have one preseason matchup left on Friday when they host the Boston Celtics before the season opens on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Nick Nurse, Sixers evaluate talented starting lineup in preseason
