Egor Demin's Crossover on LeBron James a Takeaway in Nets' Preseason Win Over 76ers

The Brooklyn Nets held off the new-look, heavily hyped Philadelphia 76ers squad 114-108 in LeBron James's first game with the team.

The Nets were missing Michael Porter Jr., but Julius Randle stepped up with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting and six rebounds, setting a tone that impressed his head coach, Jordi Fernandez.

Egor Demin added 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting and five assists, looking more and more comfortable of becoming the Nets' lead guard.

For a Nets team looking to take a leap this season, this is about as impressive as a win as you could get.

Here are three takeaways from tonight's affair.

1. Julius Randle Sets Veteran Tone

The Nets have needed some veteran leadership, and they finally got one in a three-time All-Star in Randle.

Randle was aggressive defensively and helped push the pace, completely neglecting the fact that this is a preseason game.

The two-time All-NBA forward had big shoes to fill in the absence of Porter, and he filled them admirably in the limited minutes he saw out there on the floor.

The Nets will likely go as far as Randle is willing to take them this season.

2. Egor Demin Showing Incredible Growth on the Ball

Demin's first made field goal looked smooth as butter, drilling it from the corner off a well-placed feed from Randle.

Demin had an even filthier sequence later on in the opening period, crossing up James and taking it to the rim with a head full of steam and finishing over Joel Embiid.

Demin turned on the jets a couple of more times throughout this contest and also had a sweet turnaround jumper, facets of his game that were clearly missing last season.

The No. 8 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft appears poised to take a major leap this season.

3. Nets Defense Gets it Done Against Formidable Lineup

The Nets' defense got it done against a scary lineup, trailing by just two points at halftime with James, Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe playing a majority of the minutes.

The Nets forced the Sixers into 14 first-half turnovers and 21 for the entire game, scoring 23 points off those giveaways.

Fernandez emphasises heavy ball pressure and tends to throw out a ton of size and length on the perimeter, looking to force turnovers and take bigger, more physical players right out of their element, especially Embiid.

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