The 76ers were far from perfect in their season opener against the Knicks, but a bunch of good things happened for them. From Tyrese Maxey not missing a beat to Joel Embiid looking poised for a defensive resurgence, the coaches will like a lot of stuff from their first game. Another quietly good nugget to come out of their dub is the fact that they were able to savor the versatility LeBron James brings to the roster, especially after he played some minutes as a nominal center.
Nick Nurse brought up the possibility of him resorting to LeBron as their center in spurts as Philly navigates through its revolving door of early injuries, but he did not go with the idea himself. Interestingly, it was apparently Embiid who suggested that lineup configuration when he picked up his third foul near the end of the first half, and that setup might just be a lethal weapon for the team despite not featuring the All-Star big man.
Playing LeBron James at the 5 could be a lethal weapon for the 76ers
Just to make things clear, the 76ers are better with Embiid on the floor. That being said, given their flimsy depth at center, the coaching staff definitely needs to be more creative with their lineups to prevent them from getting exploited without their superstar center on the floor.
Trotting LeBron out as an ostensible center is definitely an interesting look for Philly. While it is not (and should not) be a go-to option for Nick Nurse, it is certainly an alignment that could prove to be lethal if the team is forced to, say, get into crunch time with Embiid sidelined or already fouled out.
James is still a physically imposing forward who has ample experience playing a position or two up. Lineups featuring him as the nominal big man will especially thrive as a run-and-gun group, which is actually an amenable design for Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Jaylen Brown.
LeBron at the 5 is, of course, nowhere near a firm solution to the team's backup center woes. However, at some point, the team will have to play small. Getting that lineup some reps early this season could prove to be instrumental later on, especially when teams start to engage in a chess match with the 76ers.
Joel Embiid is still the propeller for the 76ers, but this team also has what it takes to remain successful without him on the floor. LeBron James, after all, remains the most malleable player in the league, even able to play the 5 and arming the team with a more modern and dynamic weapon at their disposal.
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