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4 Takeaways From 76ers’ Preseason Loss to the Nets

There’s much to dissect following the 76ers’ 114-108 loss to the Nets on Thursday night, in which Philadelphia’s full starting lineup debuted.
Jacob Moreno|
Oct 8, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Lebron James (23) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Oct 8, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Lebron James (23) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Philadelphia 76ers

It took less than two minutes for LeBron James to deliver what 76ers fans anticipated for months. 

He rifled a pass to VJ Edgecombe, who sprinted all 94 feet, for a transition layup. This was one of many sequences that displayed how dangerous Philadelphia’s James-led offense can become—so much so that fans may remember this game as James’ unofficial 76ers debut rather than a six-point Nets win.

Philadelphia (1-1) fell short to Brooklyn (2-0) 114-108 in preseason action at Barclays Center on Thursday night. The 76ers’ entire starting lineup (Edgecombe, James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid) played together for the first time and offered telling signs of where Philadelphia stands on both ends of the court. The potential is glaring, but it may take time for the 76ers to fully realize it.

Here are the main takeaways from Thursday:

1. The 76ers will score a lot of points

Whenever Philadelphia operated in transition, every fan was on the edge of their seat. James’ five assists reflected the free-flowing nature the 76ers played with. Philadelphia pushed tempo at every opportunity, with Maxey and Edgecombe thriving in the fast environment. Maxey scored 14 first-half points, getting easy looks in early offense off frantic ball movement; four of Edgecombe’s 11 points used James’ assists.

James (10 points) was equally as effective in the halfcourt, serving as a ball-handler and a roll-man. His rim pressure, per usual, was too much for the defense to handle, going 8-of-8 from the foul line. The mere threat of James created opportunity for others. He ran a pick-and-roll with Embiid that Brooklyn blitzed; the Nets blitzed. Embiid, off the short-roll, passed to Brown cutting from the baseline for an easy two.

The 41-year-old wasn’t the 76ers’ only scoring source, however. Brown thrived in isolation, scoring 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field; he eclipsed 15 points in both preseason games. Brown attacked in isolation a lot, despite Philadelphia having its entire starting five available. Time will tell if this was due to the 76ers’ half-court attack not being fully developed. Still, Brown’s three-level scoring impressed.

It was not an impressive night for Embiid, though. He registered more turnovers (eight) than points (six), looking quite rusty, which is to be expected in early October. Some of Embiid’s passes were simply bad, but others were because the team isn’t fully on the same page yet; no team is yet. 

The 76ers’ 21 turnovers are indicative of the polish their halfcourt offense needs and the chemistry that needs to form. But the James-led offense showed plenty to be encouraged about. It’s safe to assume that transition will be a devastating strength for Philadelphia this season. 

2. The 76ers will give up a lot of points 

The 76ers may score many points, but it also seems they’ll surrender a lot early in the year. Philadelphia’s rim protection was the most glaring issue as Brooklyn scored 50 points in the paint. The 76ers have yet to form a defensive identity with this new squad, which is to be expected. Philadelphia’s defense focused on forcing turnovers under Nick Nurse, but the Nets gave the ball away just four times in the first half.

As Philadelphia gets more games under its belt, Xs and Os details such as help rotations and coverages should tighten up, which will prevent the paint from being as big of a meal ticket for the opposing team. But the lack of paint presence was exploited in another way: rebounding. The Nets had 19 second-chance points off nine offensive rebounds. The 76ers struggled to contain physically off box-outs.

Rebounding and rim protection were expected to be Philadelphia’s two biggest hurdles with this roster and that was evident tonight. Fortunately for the 76ers, time is on their side to iron out these woes. 

3. Dean Wade is who this team needs 

While Wade was Philadelphia’s first free-agent signing, his value to the team skyrocketed when Brown and James came to town. That was proven on Thursday. Wade tallied seven points on 2-of-2 shooting from deep and four rebounds. But it wasn’t necessarily his box score that represented his true impact.

On a Philadelphia team sorting out its defense, Wade was a bright spot. He used positioning and length to make life difficult for Julius Randle, one of Brooklyn’s projected leading scorers. Randle shot 4-of-11 from the field, and Wade was a key reason why. His ability to guard multiple positions and cash in threes off the ball will be essential for Philadelphia come the regular season.

4. Jabari Walker’s stock is rising

The 76ers are searching for answers at backup center after Ariel Hukporti ruptured his right Achilles in Philadelphia’s 120-97 win against the Knicks on Monday night. Walker is playing his way into being a true option for the 76ers’ center rotation, recording eight points and seven rebounds against Brooklyn.

What Walker does isn’t flashy, but it’s needed. The 24-year-old fights for rebounds on both ends of the court and is a physical finisher at the rim. Walker, at 6-foot-7, likely won’t play reserve five all the time, but he is seizing the opportunity in front of him. Philadelphia needs a rebounding spark and Walker can be that.

Philadelphia will continue to grow as it travels to play the Celtics (1-0) on Saturday, October 10, at 8 p.m. ET.

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Jacob Moreno
JACOB MORENO

Jacob Moreno is a Sports Media major at Temple University who aspires to become a 76ers beat writer. He previously contributed to The Sixer Sense and also covers Temple Athletics for The Temple News. He is a huge Marvel nerd and falls victim to expensive Lego sets.

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