How the Sixers Can Use LeBron James As a Screener

At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, James is not misfit to do some of the things that true forwards do. More importantly, he's cognizant of the value he can add by getting involved in actions as the screener.

May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the first half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Sixers are going to put the ball in LeBron James' hands.

A lot.

They want him bringing it up the court. They want him making decisions and setting the stage. They want him to dictate the pace as the situation calls for it.

Not bad use of your genius point forward.

But there are tweaks the Sixers can make to leverage James' size and skill in the halfcourt setting.

"I think you slot right in there perfectly. We did talk about some multi-position situations," Nick Nurse told NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark of his conversation with James leading up to his choosing the Sixers on a new episode of the Takeoff Podcast.

"I think the most important thing with fit is when you look at it positionally, does it work? You don't have a whole lot of guys that are doing the same thing. I think it does lay out there pretty well with we got a couple of big wings in Jaylen [Brown] and LeBron. We got the two guards obviously. Joel [Embiid] in the middle. So I think it lays out initially pretty well."

That sounds like a head coach who wants James to have his time as the first domino of the offense. But it also sounds like he wants to leverage some of the positional opportunities James presents.

At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, James is not misfit to do some of the things that true forwards do. More importantly, he's cognizant of the value he can add by getting involved in actions as the screener.

How does that look?

There are plenty of examples to choose from.

LeBron screen and post on left side pic.twitter.com/gJndkOD6ac

— Austin Krell’s Film Room (@AKFilmRoom) August 5, 2026

Sixers fans remember the snug pick-and-roll from the days of Ben Simmons and Embiid. How else do you run a pick-and-roll with a point guard who won't shoot?

You'll notice former Sixer Tobias Harris stepping to the block on the right side of the paint in the clip above. James' decision suggests that was the intention behind screening into a post-up. Harris is far from a model off-ball defender, often a risk to get caught ball-watching and back-cut by an opponent from the corner.

James can see the whole floor from this spot, which means he's well aware that Harris is lost as Jake LaRavia sneaks behind him for a look at the rim.

This should be an especially interesting setup for the Sixers because it allows Embiid to space to the foul line, where he's been an exceptional shooter for years. If Embiid's gravity as a mid-range shooter can pull the big away from the basket, James is going to have a lot of room to operate out of that post-up.

Imagine Brown or V.J. Edgecombe sitting in that weak-side corner and waiting for their man's head to not swivel back as James squares to the rim.

Philadelphia would be foolish not to weaponize James' shooting threat, though.

LeBron brush screen and pop pic.twitter.com/d0YvBENRAD

— Austin Krell’s Film Room (@AKFilmRoom) August 5, 2026

Make no mistake. That's a nonsense screen by James. I almost wonder if he sees Nique Clifford chasing through before the pick even comes and decides that a real screen might bait a switch and mess up the driving lane, so he just floats in the middle of the action and pops out to cause some confusion.

To be fair, this defense is that of the lowly Sacramento Kings. But the faked screen does create a little bit of confusion. Precious Achiuwa is playing below the level and thinks Clifford has just chased through and doesn't need help. Clifford thinks Achiuwa is going to take the assignment. Whoops.

If defenses are going to treat James to that degree of space above the break—and it's justifiable to do so, I might add—it manufactures a pull-up shooting threat and a downhill threat out of the screen. And if not, the ballhandler can just pitch it back to James for a good look from 3 or a secondary action to keep the possession moving.

James is able to fool the Kings with Nick Smith Jr. as his partner in the two-man game. Imagine the kind of headaches he could create with Tyrese Maxey in that role.

How about something for ball pressure?

The Los Angeles Lakers had plans for that. This action against the Toronto Raptors is a little congested, but it's simple.

LeBron ball screen and pitch back pic.twitter.com/A8DDpE4dTu

— Austin Krell’s Film Room (@AKFilmRoom) August 5, 2026

It's a simple ball screen, but it gets the smaller Ja'Kobe Walter on James in Toronto's switch scheme. Teams that trend bigger sometimes overreact when their teammate gets mismatched out of a switch, and the rookie Collin Murray-Boyles urgently deserts Austin Reaves to get a second body on James.

That's where Deandre Ayton gets in on the act, setting a pick for Reaves to flare. All James has to do is pitch the rock back to Reaves and it's an open 3.

There are many things that are brilliant about James. But the combination of his physical attributes and sharpened skills allows you to have your cake and eat it, too.

It's on Nurse to brainstorm some ways to weaponize James' frame to squeeze every bit of power out of this offense.