CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers were in a tough position in their previous matchup with the Detroit Pistons as they were dealing with some injuries up front.
Obviously, Joel Embiid sat as it was the second night of a back-to-back and the Sixers were missing the likes of Jabari Walker, Tacko Fall, and Dominick Barlow so Philadelphia was a bit thin up front.
Therefore, coach Nick Nurse turned to LeBron James to play the center spot and he finished with 18 points, five assists, two rebounds, and two steals. The Sixers were out-rebounded by the Pistons 54-37 in the loss, but Nurse was happy with what he saw from James at the 5.
"I thought he played fine," said Nurse at practice on Tuesday. "I think that we were certainly challenged there on which
way to go with that thing, with a number of our bigs being out. I think the biggest thing I'm happy about is (Adem) Bona played more like we're used to seeing, and probably would have went that way if that body of work had been in front of that game, right?"
James is the ultimate chess piece. A team can use him in any and every situation and he will thrive in that position. As the Sixers move forward, Nurse plans on tapping into James at the 5 more often than not. Hopefully, Philadelphia won't need to rely on that too much, but it is something the Sixers can and should look into. One loss isn't going to deter Nurse, nor should it.
"So, it's nice, easy to say when you're looking back on it that you could have made some other moves and all that kind of stuff," Nurse added. "But I mean, listen, we've had some amazing moments with LeBron at the 5, so I'm gonna draw from those."
The Sixers will be in competition all season long for the top of the East. One has to believe Nurse and the coaching staff will find a way to make all of it work when considering the talent on the roster.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Coach Nick Nurse evaluates LeBron James playing center for Sixers
