Hopefully, Philadelphia 76ers fans enjoyed the scrimmage over the weekend, which gave everybody a first look at the new starting five, which includes Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, to mix with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe.
When the Sixers take the court for Monday's action against the New York Knicks, a handful of guys will not get the nod to play. It doesn't come as a surprise, considering Monday's game against the New York Knicks is just the very beginning of the preseason.
The Sixers you won't see
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Sixers are going to roll without LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow, and Adem Bona, who are all expected to miss the action.
Out of the starters, that leaves Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe as the two who are expected to suit up. So, you won't get the full dose just yet, but at the very least, it seems that Brown is willing to lace them up early on and work on improving his comfort level within Nick Nurse's system with the Sixers, after spending the past decade with the Boston Celtics.
Obviously, the lack of stars is disappointing, but it's the right move. Does LeBron James really have to get out there for an October 5 game? Give the future legend his rest. As for Joel Embiid, we all know his injury history well. It would be good to see Embiid get some preseason work in, so he can shake some rust, but the Sixers don't need to risk his health this early on.
The disappointing absences
Adem Bona has been dealing with a setback since before training camp started. He will continue to be out of the mix for the time being. Currently, there isn't a timeline in place for Bona's return, but Nick Nurse noted that Bona should get to see the court for preseason action at some point.
Anfernee Simons is a new Sixer, who brings plenty of excitement to the table. It's unclear what's keeping him from the scrimmage action, as well as the preseason opener, but his current status seems to be more precautionary than anything. Simons has been practicing and putting in extra time after sessions.
Lastly, Dominick Barlow will continue to miss public action for an undisclosed reason. The Sixers know what Barlow brings to the table, but it would be good to see just how much he improved during the offseason. His debut is on hold for now.
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